US, Japan, Australia risk antagonising China with agreement on military cooperation
Pledge by US, Australia and Japan set to antagonise China despite Barack Obama's warm talks with Xi Jinping in Beijing
Eyeing Beijing's assertiveness, US President Barack Obama and the prime ministers of Japan and Australia have committed to deepen their military cooperation and work together on strengthening maritime security in the Asia-Pacific region.
The meeting, the first since 2007 among leaders of the three allies, risked antagonising Beijing after a week when Obama reached a surprising level of consensus with President Xi Jinping on climate change and trade, and Japan and China took steps to improve their relationship.
China has viewed Obama's efforts to deepen alliances with other countries in the region, particularly on security issues, as an attempt to counter Beijing's rise.
In a joint statement following the meeting, the three leaders said they had agreed to "deepen the already strong security and defence cooperation" between their countries. They also agreed to work on boosting "maritime security capacity building" in a region rife with disputes between China and its neighbours over claims to waters and islands.
However, there were no announcements on specific military exercises or new troop deployments within the region.
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