Foreign ministers of member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have confirmed that they will accelerate discussions toward increasing their defense spending.

NATO foreign ministers wrapped up a two-day meeting in Brussels on Friday, with US State Secretary Marco Rubio attending for the first time.

The US administration of President Donald Trump has been calling on NATO members to hike the ratio of their defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP.

Speaking to reporters after the talks on Friday, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Rubio sent a very clear message about the US's commitment to the alliance.

He added that there is also a very clear expectation that Europe and Canada must take more responsibility for their shared security and continue to ramp up defense spending.

Rutte also underscored the need to work closely with Japan and some other countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

Pointing to the buildup of China's defense industrial base, he described the country as a threat and said, "We cannot be naive about China."

Rutte will visit Japan next week to bolster relations. He is expected to exchange views with Japanese officials on defense industry cooperation and responses to China.