‘The United States is committed to working with our allies and partners to deter aggression by communist China in the Indo-Pacific,’ the defense secretary said.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Singapore on May 30, greeting his counterparts from Southeast Asian nations ahead of a defense summit for which China has opted not to send its defense minister this year.
Hegseth is attending the Shangri-la Dialogue, where he said he will “ensure that [the Indo-Pacific] region understands America will be strong” amid rising influence from the Chinese communist regime.
“The United States is committed to working with our allies and partners to deter aggression by communist China in the Indo-Pacific. And we’re doing this in particular, re-establishing deterrence, through strength by standing shoulder to shoulder with you. We will unite against those who threaten a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he told Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers and senior defense officials at a meeting before the summit began.
Hegseth said allies were a “key part” to maintaining stability in the region, and reiterated a commitment made by U.S. Navy Admiral Samuel Paparo to joint drills with Indo-Pacific partners.
“A key part of our success will be empowering allies and partners, like all of you, to even better defend your territory and to ensure peace and security in this region. That is what we want, that’s our overarching message here—we seek, and we want peace and security and stability,” he said.
“These activities help professionalize your forces and ours and increase our inter-operability as we continue to face pressing security challenges in Southeast Asia. The United States is committed to working with you to tackle those challenges, by working together on a basis of mutual interest and mutual trust.”
Philippines Secretary of Defense Gilbert Teodoro told reporters the pre-summit meeting had been a success.
“Secretary Hegseth made a great impact, I can feel it, with our counterparts here, and it is proof of a commitment of the Trump administration to engage in ASEAN and the Indo-Pacific,” Teodoro said. “Of course, we will continue to enhance our bilateral and multilateral relationships all with the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and of course our shared interest in upholding a rules-based international order.”
U.S. defense officials have warned in recent months that China has greatly increased military capabilities in the Indo-Pacific, such as with anti-satellite space force weapons.
