Canada and Australia鈥檚 defence ministers say their countries are dealing with similar challenges in an era of global volatility not seen since the Second World War, and strengthening co-operation is essential to avoiding conflict.

Defence Minister Bill Blair and his Australian counterpart Richard Marles announced an agreement Thursday to bolster their countries鈥� relationships, along with their collective ability to respond to everything from global challenges to malicious cyber threats.

鈥淐anada and Australia are both Pacific nations, and the security of the Indo-Pacific is crucial for the security of both our nations and today, that security is being challenged in a number of significant and difficult ways,鈥� Blair told a news conference Thursday. 鈥淐hina is pursuing the most ambitious military buildup of any nation since the Second World War, and it鈥檚 looking to reshape the international system to advance its own interest.鈥�

Marles, who鈥檚 also Australia鈥檚 deputy prime minister, was in Vancouver for the bilateral meeting with Blair.

In a joint statement after the meeting, the countries condemned Russia鈥檚 invasion of Ukraine, China鈥檚 actions in the South China Sea, North Korea鈥檚 ballistic missile testing, and reaffirmed a call for a ceasefire in Gaza.

The ministers committed their armed forces to work together as hostile actions from China and Russia continue to test the global order.

鈥淥ur sovereignty in the Canadian arctic is being challenged by a number of potential adversaries, Russia and China in particular, but not exclusively,鈥� Blair said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 very similar to what we鈥檙e seeing in the Indo-Pacific.鈥�

Blair said the closely allied nations are 鈥減reparing to avoid war,鈥� showing unity in the face of adversaries whose actions go against 鈥済lobal interests of maintaining a peaceful environment.鈥�

Marles said Canada and Australia鈥檚 co-operation is seeking to deter hostile actors, and avoiding conflict is 鈥渇ront and centre鈥� as both nations seek to understand and respond to threats in the Indo-Pacific and elsewhere.

He said the 鈥済lobal rules based order is more under pressure now than any point since the end of the Second World War.鈥�

Marles said Russia鈥檚 alliance with China on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call about the interconnectedness of global theatres of conflict.

鈥淪uddenly, a conflict in eastern Europe became deeply relevant to us in the Indo-Pacific,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e live in a world where there is fragility and where the Indo-Pacific is highly relevant.鈥�

Marles said both Canada and Australia have worked to 鈥渦nderstand the strategic challenges that we face, and therefore what kind of a defence force we need to build in order to meet those challenges.鈥�

鈥淏oth of us have come to the conclusion that the Indo-Pacific matters.鈥�

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press