CLARK, Philippines — North Korea's weapons programs pose "an unprecedented and grave threat" to the United States, South Korea and Japan, defense ministers from the three countries warned Tuesday.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and his Asian counterparts vowed to step up diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang while enhancing military cooperation as they held security talks in the Philippines.

Tension has been high on the divided Korean peninsula for months with Pyongyang staging its sixth nuclear test and launching two ICBMs that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range.

"The three ministers condemned, in the strongest terms, North Korea's continued provocative actions," read a joint statement from Mattis, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo.

"The ministers called on North Korea to abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner."

The allies also pledged to enforce United Nations sanctions against the North, and expand information sharing.

Meanwhile, China and Southeast Asian navies aim to hold an inaugural joint maritime exercise next year, Singapore's defense minister said on Tuesday, as they try to build trust amid conflicting claims over the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entire strategic waters through which about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, with tensions exacerbated by Beijing's island-building and Washington's increasing freedom of navigation patrols.

"Singapore supports it," Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told reporters when asked about China's offer to hold maritime exercises. "We will push it ... for the very reason that all ASEAN and China want that. If you exercise, you at least build understanding and trust."

The exercises were discussed at a meeting between China and Singapore on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting.

"We'll work out the details. See the logistics... and find a suitable area where ASEAN and China navies can exercise together," Ng said. Singapore and China have not always seen eye to eye in recent months. Singaporean troops have trained in self-ruled Taiwan, an island China claims as its own, which had been an irritant in ties.

Ng said Singapore also had a proposal to "reduce risk of actual conflict" by agreeing to a new code of unexpected encounters in the air after ASEAN adopted a code to avoid sea encounters.

ASEAN and its eight regional partners, the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand, had agreed to set up a "direct communications link" among them to ease tension.

Ng said the United States and Japan also welcomed the idea of exercises. "Secretary (of Defense Jim) Mattis welcomed the exercises together with ASEAN countries," he said.

Also Australia on Tuesday announced the expansion of its security support to the Philippines, which will involve training in urban counter-terrorism, to fight the rise and spread of militancy in the region.

"All nations must learn from the recent Marawi conflict and the Philippines' experience," said Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne, adding Canberra and Manila will host a post-conflict seminar to learn from the five-month Marawi conflict.

About 80 soldiers from Australia's mobile training team will be deployed in local bases in the Philippines to train army and marine units in urban counter-terrorism warfare, said Payne on the sidelines of an ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting.

"The practical training the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) will provide will ensure the Philippines defense force is better able to counter the brutal tactics being employed by terrorists," Payne told a news conference.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in the same briefing the government had been provided by Kurdish intelligence, through Manila's embassy in Baghdad, with a list of Indonesians, Malaysians and a few Filipinos who might return home.

Lorenzana said the Philippines and Australia are now reviewing the deployment of surveillance planes, which flew four times a week over Marawi since late June. — Agencies

CLARK, Philippines — North Korea's weapons programs pose "an unprecedented and grave threat" to the United States, South Korea and Japan, defense ministers from the three countries warned Tuesday.

US Secretary of Defense James Mattis and his Asian counterparts vowed to step up diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang while enhancing military cooperation as they held security talks in the Philippines.

Tension has been high on the divided Korean peninsula for months with Pyongyang staging its sixth nuclear test and launching two ICBMs that apparently brought much of the US mainland into range.

"The three ministers condemned, in the strongest terms, North Korea's continued provocative actions," read a joint statement from Mattis, Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-Moo.

"The ministers called on North Korea to abandon its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile programs in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner."

The allies also pledged to enforce United Nations sanctions against the North, and expand information sharing.

Meanwhile, China and Southeast Asian navies aim to hold an inaugural joint maritime exercise next year, Singapore's defense minister said on Tuesday, as they try to build trust amid conflicting claims over the South China Sea.

China claims almost the entire strategic waters through which about $3 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims, with tensions exacerbated by Beijing's island-building and Washington's increasing freedom of navigation patrols.

"Singapore supports it," Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen told reporters when asked about China's offer to hold maritime exercises. "We will push it ... for the very reason that all ASEAN and China want that. If you exercise, you at least build understanding and trust."

The exercises were discussed at a meeting between China and Singapore on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defense Ministers' Meeting.

"We'll work out the details. See the logistics... and find a suitable area where ASEAN and China navies can exercise together," Ng said. Singapore and China have not always seen eye to eye in recent months. Singaporean troops have trained in self-ruled Taiwan, an island China claims as its own, which had been an irritant in ties.

Ng said Singapore also had a proposal to "reduce risk of actual conflict" by agreeing to a new code of unexpected encounters in the air after ASEAN adopted a code to avoid sea encounters.

ASEAN and its eight regional partners, the United States, Russia, China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia and New Zealand, had agreed to set up a "direct communications link" among them to ease tension.

Ng said the United States and Japan also welcomed the idea of exercises. "Secretary (of Defense Jim) Mattis welcomed the exercises together with ASEAN countries," he said.

Also Australia on Tuesday announced the expansion of its security support to the Philippines, which will involve training in urban counter-terrorism, to fight the rise and spread of militancy in the region.

"All nations must learn from the recent Marawi conflict and the Philippines' experience," said Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne, adding Canberra and Manila will host a post-conflict seminar to learn from the five-month Marawi conflict.

About 80 soldiers from Australia's mobile training team will be deployed in local bases in the Philippines to train army and marine units in urban counter-terrorism warfare, said Payne on the sidelines of an ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting.

"The practical training the Australian Defence Forces (ADF) will provide will ensure the Philippines defense force is better able to counter the brutal tactics being employed by terrorists," Payne told a news conference.

Philippine Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said in the same briefing the government had been provided by Kurdish intelligence, through Manila's embassy in Baghdad, with a list of Indonesians, Malaysians and a few Filipinos who might return home.

Lorenzana said the Philippines and Australia are now reviewing the deployment of surveillance planes, which flew four times a week over Marawi since late June. — Agencies