The Philippines and Japan agreed to increase their defense cooperation amid a “harsh” security environment and China’s attempt to change the global order, officials said on Monday.

Asian equities were largely higher as Hong Kong had a very strong day, while Thailand, the Philippines, and Mainland China outperformed, Japan underperformed, and India was closed for Mahashivaratri.

Japan and the Philippines have agreed to further deepen their defense collaborations and start talks on an arrangement to protect shared military information in the face of mutual alarm over China’s i

Philippine defence minister Gilberto Teodoro said he would discuss China's attempts to change the international order during a bilateral meeting with his Japanese counterpart in Manila on Monday. (Reporting by Mikhail Flores;

Disputed South China Sea airspace that Beijing claims as its own falls within Manila’s Exclusive Economic Zone, where the Philippines and other countries enjoy freedom of overflight.

Analysts say the Philippines needs to carefully calibrate its response to Chinese aggression amid efforts to strengthen its defense capabilities

Japan and the Philippines agreed on Monday to further deepen defence ties in the face of an “increasingly severe” security environment in the Indo-Pacific region, Japanese defence minister Gen Nakatani said on Monday.

Vessel being built in Wuhan, designed to carry advanced hypersonic missiles, could serve as deterrent, according to semi-official magazine.

The US has accused China of “unsafe and irresponsible” action during a close encounter between a PLA helicopter and a Philippine plane over the South China Sea on Tuesday. In a statement on Wednesday,

France, Australia, Japan, Canada, New Zealand—following Washington’s lead—have each staged war games or concluded alliances with Manila targeting China.

France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and accompanying warships were in the Philippines on Sunday after holding combat drills with Philippine forces in the disputed South China Sea in a show of