South-east Asian nations are turning to Australia to seek closer defence ties amid rising concerns over China's military build-up in the South China Sea.
The move comes as the US warned that a ruling of an international court in a case brought by the Philippines over its South China Sea claims in the coming weeks could trigger Beijing to declare an exclusion zone in the waters through which 30 per cent of world trade passes.
Malaysia's Defence Minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, is scheduled to meet Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne next week to discuss China's placement of military equipment on disputed islands, in a sign that Malaysia is considering a tougher stand against Beijing, its largest trading partner. 
"If the reports we've received from various sources regarding the build-up and placement of military assets in the Spratlys are true - this forces us in a pushback against China," Mr Hishammuddin said, adding he would also hold talks with the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Spratlys are a chain of atolls in the South China Sea where China, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan and Vietnam have overlapping claims.
Malaysia has in the past shied away from taking a confrontational stand against China over the disputed waters.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong is also planning to visit Australia in   May for discussions that will seek to forge a series of new agreements between the two countries, including a deal to enhance defence co-operation.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and her Singapore counterpart, Vivian Balakrishnan, declared after a meeting in Sydney on Friday that both countries were committed to the rights of states to conduct freedom of navigation and air space of the South China Sea.
Dr Balakrishnan said though Singapore was a tiny city state, its trade was three times its GDP, and hence security of passage through the South China Sea was "essential".
"So we totally subscribe to the concept of freedom of navigation and over-flight and we would highlight the South China Sea as important for both Australia and Singapore, because so much of our trade flows through that," he said.
Under a 1971-signed pact - the Five Power Defence Arrangements - Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, the UK and New Zealand are already committed to "consult" each other in the event or threat of an armed attack on Malaysia or Singapore.
China's aggressive pursuit of its claim over most of the South China Sea has already pushed other countries, including the Philippines and Vietnam, to look to closer defence ties with Australia and the US.
The head of US naval operations, Admiral John Richardson, said the US would welcome the participation of other countries in joint patrols of the South China Sea.
He said the US saw good opportunities to build relationships with countries like Vietnam, the Philippines and India, which he said had all realised the importance of safeguarding freedom of the seas.
Asked whether China could respond to the upcoming ruling by the court of arbitration in The Hague by declaring an air defence identification zone, as it did further north in the East China Sea in 2013, Admiral Richardson said: "It's definitely a concern. We will just have to see what happens ... we think about contingencies and responses."
Admiral Richardson said the US planned to continue carrying out freedom-of-navigation exercises within 12 nautical miles of disputed geographical features to underscore its concerns about keeping sea lanes open. - With agencies