Hegseth says the U.S. will reposition military amid threat from China
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Hegseth says the U.S. will reposition military amid threat from China
Hegseth says U.S. will reposition military amid threat from China. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He said the U.N. Security Council will meet this week to discuss security in the Asia-Pacific region. A Chinese analyst says the speech was “far more hostile than any of his predecessors made at the Shangri. La Dialogue” in Singapore is Asia’s top defense summit.”I do think we’re likely to see a change in force posture on the peninsula,” says Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., who was attending the forum.. French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the double standard of rushing to defend Taiwan while abandoning China’s self-governing territory, apparently alluding to the decision of a single person to defend that part of the island. “We want to cooperate but we don’t want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change,” Macron said.
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SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a stark warning Saturday about China’s threat to the status quo in Asia. He said the U.S. is refocusing its strength and policies on deterring China, and coaxed China’s neighbors and U.S. allies to help.
“It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth told civilian and military officials at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top defense summit.
The U.S. does not seek conflict, nor intend to “dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke,” Hegseth insisted. “We do not seek regime change.”
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Previous U.S. administrations have offered similar reassurances to Beijing. But retired Chinese Senior Col. Zhou Bo, now a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, says he thought Hegseth’s speech was “far more hostile than any of his predecessors made at the Shangri-La Dialogue,” and were infused with “ideological rivalry.”
Zhou adds that Hegseth’s Singapore speech was more supportive of U.S. allies than Vice President Vance’s starkly critical remarks at the Munich Security Conference in February. So, Zhou asks, “which one should we really believe?”
Refocusing U.S. military posture on China
Hegseth said the U.S. is “reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China.”
One implication of this is that the U.S. could withdraw some of the 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea to deal with China, including in a case of a potential conflict between mainland China and Taiwan, which the Pentagon calls its “sole pacing scenario.” The Pentagon says it has no plans to pull its forces out of South Korea, but insists it must have the “strategic flexibility” to put troops where it needs them.
U.S. interests could diverge from those of South Korea, as the South sees its primary threat coming from North Korea.
“I do think we’re likely to see a change in force posture on the peninsula. I think the administration has been starting to signal that pretty openly,” says Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., who was attending the Shangri-La dialogue.
“I think the message from the Trump administration,” he added, “is that all that matters is what South Korea does on China. And the reality is that U.S.-South Korea interests go far beyond what South Korea does on China.”
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“America first” defense policies
Hegseth’s emphasis on U.S. priorities echoed much of President Trump’s “America First” rhetoric. The defense secretary slammed the Biden administration’s policies as “feckless,” while praising President Trump’s acumen as a dealmaker and efforts to seal its borders to an “invasion” of illegal immigrants.
“We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace and adopt our politics or ideology,” Hegseth told the assembled leaders and military officials.
Hegseth conceded that geography makes it necessary for Asian nations to rely on China economically, while seeking defense cooperation with the U.S.
“But beware the leverage that the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] seeks with that entanglement,” he warned. “Economic dependence on China only deepens their malign influence and complicates our defense decision space during times of tension.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country would remain non-aligned, and against major powers carving out spheres of influence. He said Malaysia would continue to welcome the U.S. presence in the region, but also continue to value it ties with China.
“What Southeast Asia needs is a dynamic equilibrium,” he said, “that enables cooperation without coercion, and balance without bloc politics.”
European leader warns of double standards
In a speech at the forum the evening before Hegseth spoke, French President Emmanuel Macron offered a critique of U.S. policies, and encouraged nations to maintain strategic autonomy amid the U.S.-China rivalry.
“We want to cooperate. But we don’t want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person,” he said, apparently alluding to Trump.
Macron also rejected the double standard of rushing to defend Taiwan — a self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory — while abandoning Ukraine, a move which he said would undermine the U.S.’ own credibility.
China’s embassy in Singapore shot back on its Facebook page that “comparing the Taiwan question with the Ukraine issue is unacceptable,” as the Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair.
“If we use a double standard to look at a double standard,” it argued, “we still end up with a double standard.”
in response to Hegseth’s remarks, the embassy said in a separate Facebook post that the U.S. “claims to safeguard peace and not to seek conflicts. We’ve heard it. Let’s see what moves will it take.”
Hegseth says the U.S. will reposition military amid threat from China
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He said China is preparing to use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Retired Chinese Senior Col. Zhou Bo says Heg seth’s speech was “far more hostile than any of his predecessors” Heg Seth’s emphasis on U.S.-China defense policies echoed much of President Trump’s “America First” rhetoric.. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country would remain non-aligned, and against major powers carving out spheres of influence.. French President Emmanuel Macron spoke the evening before HegSeth, and encouraged nations to maintain autonomy amid the U.K. and China’s “strategy of self-governing” and “self-defence” in the South China Sea. and in the East China Sea, where China is building up its naval and air defenses. and the West is trying to contain it, he said.
SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth gave a stark warning Saturday about China’s threat to the status quo in Asia. He said the U.S. is refocusing its strength and policies on deterring China, and coaxed China’s neighbors and U.S. allies to help.
“It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth told civilian and military officials at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s top defense summit.
The U.S. does not seek conflict, nor intend to “dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke,” Hegseth insisted. “We do not seek regime change.”
Previous U.S. administrations have offered similar reassurances to Beijing. But retired Chinese Senior Col. Zhou Bo, now a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, says he thought Hegseth’s speech was “far more hostile than any of his predecessors made at the Shangri-La Dialogue,” and were infused with “ideological rivalry.”
Zhou adds that Hegseth’s Singapore speech was more supportive of U.S. allies than Vice President Vance’s starkly critical remarks at the Munich Security Conference in February. So, Zhou asks, “which one should we really believe?”
Refocusing U.S. military posture on China
Hegseth said the U.S. is “reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China.”
One implication of this is that the U.S. could withdraw some of the 28,500 U.S. troops in South Korea to deal with China, including in a case of a potential conflict between mainland China and Taiwan, which the Pentagon calls its “sole pacing scenario.” The Pentagon says it has no plans to pull its forces out of South Korea, but insists it must have the “strategic flexibility” to put troops where it needs them.
U.S. interests could diverge from those of South Korea, as the South sees its primary threat coming from North Korea.
“I do think we’re likely to see a change in force posture on the peninsula. I think the administration has been starting to signal that pretty openly,” says Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington, D.C., who was attending the Shangri-La dialogue.
“I think the message from the Trump administration,” he added, “is that all that matters is what South Korea does on China. And the reality is that U.S.-South Korea interests go far beyond what South Korea does on China.”
“America first” defense policies
Hegseth’s emphasis on U.S. priorities echoed much of President Trump’s “America First” rhetoric. The defense secretary slammed the Biden administration’s policies as “feckless,” while praising President Trump’s acumen as a dealmaker and efforts to seal its borders to an “invasion” of illegal immigrants.
“We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace and adopt our politics or ideology,” Hegseth told the assembled leaders and military officials.
Hegseth conceded that geography makes it necessary for Asian nations to rely on China economically, while seeking defense cooperation with the U.S.
“But beware the leverage that the CCP [Chinese Communist Party] seeks with that entanglement,” he warned. “Economic dependence on China only deepens their malign influence and complicates our defense decision space during times of tension.”
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said his country would remain non-aligned, and against major powers carving out spheres of influence. He said Malaysia would continue to welcome the U.S. presence in the region, but also continue to value it ties with China.
“What Southeast Asia needs is a dynamic equilibrium,” he said, “that enables cooperation without coercion, and balance without bloc politics.”
European leader warns of double standards
In a speech at the forum the evening before Hegseth spoke, French President Emmanuel Macron offered a critique of U.S. policies, and encouraged nations to maintain strategic autonomy amid the U.S.-China rivalry.
“We want to cooperate. But we don’t want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person,” he said, apparently alluding to Trump.
Macron also rejected the double standard of rushing to defend Taiwan — a self-governing island that China claims as part of its territory — while abandoning Ukraine, a move which he said would undermine the U.S.’ own credibility.
China’s embassy in Singapore shot back on its Facebook page that “comparing the Taiwan question with the Ukraine issue is unacceptable,” as the Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair.
“If we use a double standard to look at a double standard,” it argued, “we still end up with a double standard.”
in response to Hegseth’s remarks, the embassy said in a separate Facebook post that the U.S. “claims to safeguard peace and not to seek conflicts. We’ve heard it. Let’s see what moves will it take.”
Hegseth says the U.S. will reposition military amid China threat : NPR
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He said China is using gray zone tactics that are short of war but are coercive. China has great economic leverage over its neighbors, and this complicates defense calculations for the U.S., Anthony Kuhn says. Kuhn: China did not send its defense minister this year, perhaps because they feel the atmosphere is too hostile, he says. He says many governments seem to chafe at the suggestion that they ramp up their defense spending, but perhaps not to the levels that Washington wants, he adds. The new alignment could see the U.,S. withdraw troops from that country, basically leaving it to North Korea, Kuhn adds, and they see North Korea as the threat, rather than China. for the full interview, go to npr.com/soulmatestories and follow us on Twitter @nprtweets.
In Asia, where U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth spoke today at an annual defense forum in Singapore and said the U.S. will reposition its policies and military to deter what he described as a looming threat from China, and he wants China’s neighbors and allies in the region to support that U.S. effort. NPR’s Anthony Kuhn joins us from Singapore. Anthony, thanks so much for being with us.
ANTHONY KUHN, BYLINE: Nice to join you, Scott.
SIMON: And how did the secretary describe this threat from China?
KUHN: Well, Secretary Hegseth was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is the region’s main annual security forum. A friend described it to me as Davos for men in uniform. And he said that China is intimidating and harassing its neighbors, including Taiwan. It’s using gray zone tactics that are short of war but are coercive. And at the same time, he insisted that the U.S. does not seek to strangle or humiliate China, but he said that China’s threat is real. Let’s hear what he said.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
PETE HEGSETH: China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia, no doubt. It hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region. Through its massive military buildup and growing willingness to use military force to achieve its goals, China has demonstrated that it wants to fundamentally alter the region’s status quo.
KUHN: Interestingly, he also complained that China has great economic leverage over its neighbors, and this complicates defense calculations for the U.S.
SIMON: How were his remarks received by those there?
KUHN: Well, you know, Scott, U.S. officials have been reassuring China for many years that they don’t want to contain it or strangle it. China has never really been convinced, and I think they’re even less convinced this time. China did not send its defense minister this year, perhaps because they feel the atmosphere is too hostile. The U.S. wants other nations to ramp up defense spending, and many of them are doing that, but perhaps not to the levels that Washington wants. Another country that’s very concerned is South Korea because the new alignment could see the U.S. withdraw troops from that country, basically leaving it to North Korea, and they see North Korea as the threat, not China.
SIMON: Is the focus on China going to affect U.S. military presence in the region?
KUHN: Yes, it is doing that. Already, the U.S. military is reorganizing and downsizing and spreading out some of its military units to make them harder for Chinese missiles to hit. And then it’s also putting missiles within the first island chain in the Western Pacific to try to control the sea lanes there. Now, Hegseth noted that the U.S. has missiles in the northern Philippines, also in Japan’s southwest islands, both northeast and southeast of Taiwan.
SIMON: Secretary Hegseth’s remarks seem to echo President Trump’s America First policies, and I wonder if he said anything about that today.
KUHN: Well, there was a lot of domestic focus. He slammed previous administration’s defense policies as weak, and he praised President Trump for being a great dealmaker and policymaker. Now, a lot of the admission that, you know, the U.S. is going to put its own interests first, I think, is understood by people in the region. But when they’re given marching orders to fall into line with the U.S., that’s where I think many governments seem to chafe at the suggestion.
SIMON: NPR’s Anthony Kuhn joining us from Singapore. Anthony, thanks so much for being with us.
KUHN: You’re welcome, Scott.
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