US and Australia foreign and defence ministers to meet Aug 6

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The foreign and defence ministers of the United States and Australia will meet in the U.S. on Aug. 6, the country's embassy in Canberra said on Monday.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will co-host their Australian counterparts, Penny Wong and Richard Marles in Annapolis, Maryland as part of the annual Australia-U.S. Ministerial (AUSMIN) dialogue.

"Secretary Blinken and Secretary Austin look forward to strengthening our cooperation on the full range of global and regional issues and deepening the U.S.-Australia alliance with their Australian counterparts," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

Washington and Canberra are close allies, cooperating most notably on counterbalancing China, which is playing an increasingly assertive role in the Pacific region.

At the last AUSMIN meeting in the northern Australian state of Queensland, the two countries agreed to help Australia produce guided multiple-launch rocket systems by 2025.

(Reporting by Alasdair Pal in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)