US, Japan, Australia and Philippines to hold 'maritime cooperative activity'

MANILA (Reuters) - The combined defence and armed forces of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines will conduct "maritime cooperative activity" to support a free and open Indo-Pacific, the Philippines' defence ministry said on Saturday.

The activity will be conducted within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone on April 7, Manila's defence ministry said in a joint statement.

(Reporting by Neil Jerome Morales. Editing by Sam Holmes.)