The Pentagon plans to deploy more fighter jets, bombers and other military assets to Australia, as the US enhances its alliance in the face of “dangerous and coercive” Chinese actions in the Indo-Pacific.

Defence secretary Lloyd Austin said the allies agreed to “deepen our defence co-operation” after a meeting in Washington on Tuesday with his Australian counterpart, Richard Marles. Australian foreign minister Penny Wong and US secretary of state Antony Blinken also took part in the meeting.

“We committed ourselves to concrete steps to deepen our co-operation in both diplomacy and defence,” Austin said. “China’s dangerous and coercive actions throughout the Indo-Pacific, including around Taiwan, and toward the Pacific Island countries, and in the East and South China Seas, threaten regional peace and stability.”