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Hegseth will be the highest-ranking official from the Trump administration to visit the Philippines thus far

MANILA, Philippines – US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to arrive in Manila on Friday, March 28, as he makes a swing of the Indo-Pacific — making him the first Cabinet-level official from the Trump administration to visit the Philippines.

Before Manila, Hegseth will visit the state of Hawaii, home of the Indo-Pacific Command (Indopacom). Then he goes to Guam, where a fourth of the territory is owned by the US defense department. After his meetings in Manila, Hegseth is set to visit Japan, another key ally of the United States.

“Secretary Hegseth’s trip comes as the United States builds on unprecedented cooperation with like-minded countries to strengthen regional security,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell in a statement. “He will advance security objectives with Philippine leaders and meet with US and Philippine forces,” he added.

Hegseth inherits a bilateral defense relationship that’s seen huge strides since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022.

His predecessor, Lloyd Austin, oversaw the near-doubling of Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement sites; the expansion and increased complexity of the yearly Balikatan bilateral military exercises; a $500-million foreign military financing pledge; and the signing of the General Security of Military Information Agreement, among others.

Work and interests

It was a mix of hard work and, yes, the convergence of interests. Under Marcos, the Philippines went back to its traditional alignments and alliances, away from the pivot to China that former president Rodrigo Duterte had initiated.

How will the relationship develop under Trump 2.0? How “ironclad” will be America’s defense commitments under President Donald Trump, who’s upending the world order one agreement and vote at a time?

Early statements from US officials, including Hegseth, indicated that little would change.

Following the first phone call between Hegseth and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., the Pentagon said its chief “reaffirmed the ironclad US commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and its importance for maintaining a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”

“[Hegseth and Teodoro] discussed the importance of reestablishing deterrence in the South China Sea, including by working with allies and partners. They also discussed enhancing the capability and capacity of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” said Pentagon spokesperson John Ullyot in a February 2025 readout.

But this was all before Trump and Vice President JD Vance tag-teamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in late February 2025. Since then, Manila has become much more cautious — or nervous, even — because there’s really no saying how Trump would treat old alliances and partnerships, including in the Indo-Pacific.

At the same time, the Philippine military has gotten an exemption from a sweeping freeze in US aid to allow $336 million for its modernization.

What will Hegseth have to say at Indopacom, at their bases in Guam, in Manila, and in Japan?

We’re sure of at least one thing in his Indo-Pacific sojourn, at least. “And as always, the Secretary looks forward to some great PT (physical training) with the troops!” said Parnell.

PT WITH TROOPS. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth participates in a morning PT session hosted by troops from the 1st Battalion 10th Special Forces Group at Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany, Feb. 11, 2025.

Flight over the South China Sea

Make no mistake, the US has always made its presence felt in the region, including in the South China Sea and the West Philippine Sea.

On Monday, March 24, the same week as Hegseth’s visit and on the day the Philippine and US military kicked off their annual bilateral military exercises, four Philippine media groups joined a Boeing P-8 Poseidon aerial mission over waters close to Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal.

Three Philippine vessels — two from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and one from the Philippine Coast Guard — had been deployed to the shoal to bring aid to Filipino fisherfolk in the area.

From the airplane windows of the Poseidon, it was hard to make out which vessel what which, and just how many were out at sea, close to the shoal. But on the screens where Naval officers were monitoring the sea surface in real time, the picture was much clearer: at least four China Coast Guard ships surrounded the three Philippine vessels. Several more unindentified vessels, including one the crew aboard the Poseidon had previously identified as a Chinese Navy vessel, were also in the area.

“This is kinda how it is, usually. Every time we come out, this is usually what we see,” said Lieutenant Ken Carandang, a Filipino-American Naval Flight Officer and Tactical Coordinator.

Patrol Squadron 47, which operates the Poseidon, are typically based off Japan and regularly conduct aerial missions not just in the West Philippine Sea, but other maritime areas in the region.

The ship is also equipped with sonobuoys that can detect and analyze the source of sound in the ocean — including that from submarines. Its cameras can monitor, in real time, whatever’s happening on the ocean surface as well.

POSEIDON. A US Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon flies over the West Philippine Sea on Monday, March 24, 2025.

Commander Zachary Sipes told reporters aboard the Poseidon that the aerial mission “[helps] demonstrate our commitment to the US-Philippine alliance and our commitment to the Indo-Pacific.” It’s also part of their tried-and-tested talk points — the value of the international rules-based order and freedom of navigation in the region.

“The importance of freedom of navigation is exactly in the words. You don’t want to stop free and open economic sealanes so people have the ability to trade between nations. If you didn’t have that, you’d have countries that have a stranglehold on areas of the ocean, like back in the pirate days. Maintaining free and open sealanes and freedom of navigation allows free trade between nations, so that’s there’s no disruption there,” explained Commander Zachary Sipes, Executive Officer of Patrol Squadron 47

It was, perhaps, also a flex of the United States’ military might. Even before we were close to Scarborough Shoal, we could hear, through the radio, the Chinese Air Force trying to warn Philippine aircraft (from the BFAR) to stay away.

There was at least one radio challenge from China’s Air Force to the Poseidon, although the crew said Chinese aircraft sometimes issue general warnings to aircraft in the vicinity.

There’s another “challenge” — if you could call it that — issued to the Philippine military last week, and from the mouth of no less than the Vice President. Before a Senate panel probing the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, his daughter Vice President Sara Duterte bemoaned the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ “silence” over the incident.

Teodoro’s answer was curt and straight to the point: “Our sole mandate is to give support to the Philippine National Police when it is asked for. And therefore, such ends our jurisdiction.” – Rappler.com

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has called on Indo-Pacific allies to increase their defense spending in the face of a “real” threat from China. Hegseth made the remarks at the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore.

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday cautioned that China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force” in a bid to reorder the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

Hegseth was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum, being held in Singapore.

China’s army is “rehearsing for the real deal,” the Pentagon chief said, highlighting how the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent,” he said.

Hegseth pushes Asian allies to boost defense spending

Hegseth reassured Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region that they would not be abandoned to tackle the growing military and economic pressures from Beijing.

He called on the Asian allies to bolster their own defense spending, adding that “deterrence doesn’t come on the cheap.”

“It’s hard to believe a little bit… that I’m saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,” said Hegseth, pointing to pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump’s spending target of 5% of GDP, which is a higher percentage of GDP than the US currently spends on defense.

China threat set to dominate Singapore security talks To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

US defense secretary on China’s territorial ambitions

Hegseth on Saturday said any attempt by China to invade Taiwan “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.”

Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered the People’s Liberation Army to be able to take Taiwan by 2027, a deadline which experts view more as an aspirational goal than a hard war deadline.

Beijing claims self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory.

The US defense secretary reiterated Trump’s remark that China would not conquer Taiwan under Trump’s watch.

Hegseth also called out China for its power designs in Latin America, particularly its efforts to step up its influence around the Panama Canal.

Edited by: Sean Sinico

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth was talking at an annual security forum in Singapore (MOHD RASFAN) (MOHD RASFAN/AFP/AFP)

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was “here to stay” in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe.

Since taking office in January, Trump has launched a trade war with China, sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing.

“The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world.

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Beijing is “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific”, he added.

Hegseth warned the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and “rehearsing for the real deal”.

Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion.

The United States was “reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China”, Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats.

– ‘Wake-up call’ –

Hegseth described China’s conduct as a “wake-up call”, accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber attacks, harassing its neighbours, and “illegally seizing and militarising lands” in the South China Sea.

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Beijing claims almost the entire disputed waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defence forum, according to US officials.

As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China’s military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine “combat readiness patrols” around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines.

“China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years,” Casey Mace, charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, told journalists ahead of the meeting.

“I think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that.”

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Beijing has not sent any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching a delegation from the People’s Liberation Army National Defence University instead.

Hegseth’s hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference.

Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told reporters the speech was “very unfriendly” and “very confrontational”, accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbours while bullying its own — including Canada and Greenland.

Former Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, from the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told AFP that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted “peaceful reunification”.

Hegseth’s comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had “violated” a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations.

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The world’s two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days.

But on Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: “China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US”, without providing details.

– ‘Priority theatre’ –

Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Indo-Pacific was “America’s priority theatre”, pledging to ensure “China cannot dominate us — or our allies and partners”.

He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump’s vow that “China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch”.

But he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and “quickly upgrade their own defences”.

“Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,” Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump’s spending target of five percent of GDP.

“Deterrence doesn’t come on the cheap.”

isk-pdw/fox

Donald Trump’s return to the White House has stoked fears over Washington’s commitment to the security of its allies in the Asia Pacific at a time when tensions are running high in the region, home to several potential flashpoints.

Countries across the region are urgently considering their options in a new era where the US president has sided with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, suggested “cleaning out” Gaza in order to redevelop it, and unleashed punishing tariffs on allies and enemies alike.

Strategies range from seeking new security reassurances from the US to bolstering defence spending, and lifting the long taboo on the possible development of their own nuclear deterrents.

Most concern is focused on the Taiwan Strait, with its commercially and strategically vital shipping lanes, where China has been flexing its muscles in an attempt to intimidate the self-governed island.

Beijing is also embroiled in territorial disputes with south-east Asian nations and Japan, while North Korea continues to develop nuclear bombs and more sophisticated weaponry, emboldened by its alliance with Russia.

Australia

The government last month boasted of “the most significant increase in defence spending in peacetime Australia since the end of the second world war”, but there is no plan to approach the figure demanded by Trump of Nato allies – 5% – nor even his assumed compromise figure of 3.5%.

Australian defence spending was A$53.3bn (US$32.1bn) in 2023–24, 2% of the country’s GDP. The Treasury forecasts it will reach 2.4% of GDP by 2027–28.

For Australia, 3.5% of GDP would be more than A$90bn ($54.3), about 75% more than the actual defence budget.

Much of Australia’s focus is on long-range deterrence, particularly submarines and missile defences.

In 1951, Australia and the US became enjoined by the Anzus treaty (along with New Zealand), an agreement often discussed in terms akin to the Nato alliance – but which was, in reality, much weaker. The treaty also no longer applies to New Zealand in its original form following decades of disputes over nuclear issues.

There is no equivalent to Nato’s Article V in the Anzus agreement – it commits parties only to “consult together” whenever the security of one is “threatened in the Pacific”.

View image in fullscreen Then US president Joe Biden meets Australian PM Anthony Albanese and British PM Rishi Sunak at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego, California, in March 2023 to announce the Aukus partnership. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Increased co-operation – and “interoperability” – between the US and Australian militaries is a common refrain from ministers on both sides of the alliance. Its most significant manifestation is the Aukus agreement (forecast to cost Australia up to A$368bn ($221.9) by the mid-2050s), under which the US is proposing to sell between three and five nuclear powered submarines to Australia early next decade, before a specifically built Aukus submarine will be in the water by the early 2040s.

Australia has long been regarded as an unswerving US ally, “with us even in our less-advisable wars”, as senior Pentagon nominee Elbridge Colby told the Senate in March. But Australia has flagged one potential point of departure: while not ruling out involvement, deputy prime minister Richard Marles has said Australia has “absolutely not” given the US any guarantees of assistance in a war between America and China over the status of Taiwan.

China

The chaos of Trump is either a dangerous precipice or a golden opportunity for China. It could well be both.

The US’s decision to impose tariffs on China’s neighbours makes it harder for Chinese companies to circumvent the duties by offshoring their supply chains. But it also could have the unintended effect of undermining the US’s attempts to galvanise the region to unite against China’s military buildup.

View image in fullscreen Container ships at the port in Qingdao, in China’s eastern Shandong province. Trump’s tariff war risks pushing some countries towards China. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

In March, US defence secretary Pete Hegseth conducted a multi-stop tour across Asia, promising to shift US focus to the Indo-Pacific in “in the face of Communist China’s aggression in the region”. Hegseth made his comments in the Philippines, a key US security ally. He also described Japan as a “warrior country” that is “indispensable” to tackling China. But shortly after his trip, the US announced tariffs of 17% on imports from the Philippines and 24% on Japan.

China reacted angrily to Hegseth’s comments on Japan, accusing the US of “instigating ideological antagonism”.

But rhetoric aside, China is using the retreat of the US as a stable economic partner as an opportunity to bolster its relations with its neighbours. It has eased trade restrictions on Japan and sought agreements with India over the disputed border territory of Ladakh.

This diplomatic push will make it harder for the US to lean on allies in Asia to unite against China. In the meantime, China’s rapid military buildup continues apace. This year it will increase defence spending by 7.2%, continuing its trend of increasing defence spending faster than GDP growth, which last year was 5%. The US defence department estimates that China’s true military spending is 40-90% more than its public budget.

Taiwan

The rising threat posed by China is felt more deeply in Taiwan than anywhere else. Xi’s overhaul and revamp of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is primarily geared towards being able to annex Taiwan by force if Beijing can’t bully it into accepting Chinese rule. Resources and leadership have shifted eastward, favouring the navy, and joint operations now include the increasingly militarised Coast Guard, and China’s paramilitary fleet of maritime militia fishing boats.

Taiwan, which can’t hope to match the PLA militarily, has been preparing. But it has also had to respond to Trump’s second term, which has demonstrated something of a souring on Taiwan: the US is Taiwan’s most significant security partner, bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

But during his campaign and since taking office, Trump has questioned the worth of US support for Taiwan, and suggested it pay for protection. His administration has also called for major increases in Taiwan’s defence spending from the current rate of below 3% to as much as 10% of GDP. Taiwan’s government says that’s impossible, and would involve spending almost as much as the central government’s entire annual operating budget of NT$3tn ($92bn).

View image in fullscreen A satellite image from March 2025 showing three Chinese barges connected via extendable bridges in waters off Zhanjiang city, in southern China’s Guangdong province. The new barges could be used to land heavy equipment and thousands of personnel in a possible invasion of Taiwan, defence experts say. Photograph: Planet Labs PBC/AFP/Getty Images

Instead, Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, has pledged an increase in overall defence spending to more than 3% of GDP – as long as it can get past a highly obstructionist, opposition-controlled legislature. He has also noted that Taiwan’s GDP has grown in the past eight years, so while the percentage remained low, in real terms Taiwan’s national defence budget increased by 80%.

Taiwan buys billions of dollars in weapons from the US. Among its efforts to appease Trump’s trade imbalance rhetoric, Taiwan has pledged to buy more.

President Lai has ramped up security measures to counter China, and launched a major program to boost Taiwan’s social and defensive resilience, bringing government and public sector groups together to boost protections of Taiwan’s energy, communication and other critical infrastructure, and to better prepare its 24 million people for a crisis.

Philippines

Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippines has taken a tougher stance against China, and moved closer to the US, with which it has a mutual defence treaty. The US has been granted expanded access to Philippine military bases, and the two countries have also agreed to increase the sharing of intelligence and technology to allow the sale of weaponry by the US to the Philippines.

Washington itself has highlighted the mutual defence treaty with Manila. Last month, Hegseth met Marcos in Manila, and stated the two countries must stand “shoulder to shoulder” in the face of the threat represented by China.

View image in fullscreen US defence secretary Pete Hegseth inspects an honour guard during his arrival in Manila, Philippines, on 28 March. Photograph: Lisa Marie David/Reuters

The Philippines is modernising its armed forces – earmarking $35bn this year alone – and strengthening partnerships with allies as it struggles against Chinese assertiveness in the region, particularly in the disputed South China Sea.

Later this month the US and Philippines will conduct annual military drills known as the Balikatan exercise. Troops from Australia – as well as observers from Japan and, for the first time, Poland and the Czech Republic – will also participate.

Vietnam

Vietnam, like many countries in south-east Asia, has always tried to avoid taking sides in the rivalry between the US and China. As tensions have soared under the new Trump administration, which recently announced a punishing 46% tariff on Vietnam, this balancing act has become especially challenging.

When China’s president, Xi Jinping, visited Hanoi shortly after the tariff announcement, Trump suggested the two sides were discussing how to “screw” the US. His comments underline the juggling act that Hanoi is trying to maintain.

Vietnam is seeking to appease Washington to reduce its tariff. It is reportedly preparing to crack down on Chinese goods shipped from its territory and tighten controls on sensitive exports to China. It is also promising to buy more US goods, including in defence and security products.

Vietnam counts both the US and China as important economic partners. Washington is also a helpful counterbalance to Beijing’s assertiveness in the South China Sea, where China’s claims overlap with those of Vietnam.

View image in fullscreen Customers shop for shoes at a Nike shop in Hanoi, Vietnam. The country faces a juggling act in maintaining economic ties with both the US and China. Photograph: Hau Dinh/AP

Last year was a record year for island building by Vietnam in the South China Sea. In February, China’s foreign ministry criticised construction work by Vietnam to build an airstrip on the Barque Canada Reef, in the Spratly chain. Beijing claims the islands are “illegally occupied” by Vietnam.

As it completes such landfill activities, the defence capabilities it plans to build on the reclaimed land will become clear – and likely antagonise China.

Vietnam is also seeking to strengthen its military capacity, including by developing its own defence industry.

Japan

Trump’s language on his return to the White House triggered a sense of déjà vu in Japan and South Korea, the US’s two main allies in north-east Asia. Echoing his criticisms during his first term, Trump recently complained that the US-Japan security treaty was “so one-sided” – a reference, in Trump’s view, to the cost borne by Washington of stationing about 50,000 troops in Japan.

Japan contributes $2bn towards the cost of hosting US troops, who under the treaty’s terms are committed to come to Japan’s defence if it is attacked.

Under hawkish prime minister – and Trump ally – Shinzo Abe, Japan began beefing up its defence posture in 2022, including promises to buy more weapons from the US. Subsequent prime ministers have followed suit, vowing to double defence spending by 2027 so that it accounts for 2% of GDP.

Defence spending by Japan is expected to reach ¥9.9tn ($70bn) in the year to March 2026, according to the defence ministry, equivalent to 1.8% of gross domestic product.

The defence minister, Gen Nakatani, recently referenced growing pressure from Washington to shoulder more of the cost of their defence and hosting US troops. The latest spending projection “show that our efforts to strengthen our defence capabilities are steadily progressing”, he said. But Tokyo’s arms build-up may still not be enough. Elbridge Colby, Trump’s Pentagon policy chief, recently demanded that Japan raise military spending to 3% of GDP.

View image in fullscreen Jet fighters and ships are seen from the bridge of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier during a three-day maritime exercise between the US and Japan in the Philippine Sea in January 2024. Photograph: Richard A Brooks/AFP/Getty Images

Higher spending has been matched by stronger capabilities, including plans to deploy long-range missiles capable of striking China and North Korea, and the adoption of a position that would allow Japan to strike enemy bases first if it believed an attack was imminent – a posture critics say violates the country’s purely defensive “pacifist” constitution.

South Korea

The domestic political turmoil of the past five months has caused alarm in the US and Japan over South Korea’s commitments to regional security. The impeachment of Yoon Suk Yeol means the country will elect a new leader on 10 June, with polls suggesting that Lee Jae-myung, a liberal, is favourite to replace Yoon, a pro-US conservative.

While it attempts to overcome the trauma of Yoon’s impeachment trial, there is little indication of how far a new president would go in resisting Washington’s demands to spend more on its defence and the deployment of about 28,000 troops.

The US military presence in the South has long been vital to Seoul’s ability to deter a potential attack by nuclear-armed North Korea.

Tensions between the two Koreas grew under Yoon. . As Trump focuses on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, there is concern that the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, could feel empowered to behave more provocatively.

View image in fullscreen North Korea’s Kim Jong-un visits military hardware in March 2023. Photograph: 朝鮮通信社/AP

Some lawmakers were disturbed by Trump’s dismissive treatment of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in the Oval Office in February. That has sown seeds of doubt in Seoul about the strength of Washington’s commitment to South Korea’s security – a bedrock of bilateral ties since the end of the 1950-53 Korean war.

While the North continues to develop weapons of mass destruction, its neighbour is also broaching the sensitive subject of having its own nuclear deterrent, independent of the US nuclear umbrella. Once the preserve of conservative hawks, now progressive commentators are calling on the South to have the capacity to turn fissile material into nuclear weapons.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore, May 31, 2025. REUTERS/Edgar Su Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab

Summary In defence forum debut, Hegseth calls for Asian allies to step up

Speech could cause consternation among allies

Pentagon chief has blasted European allies in past for not spending enough

SINGAPORE, May 31 (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday that the threat from China was real and potentially imminent as he pushed allies in the Indo-Pacific to spend more on their own defence needs.

Hegseth, speaking for the first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Asia’s premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, underlined that the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for the Trump administration.

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“There’s no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on the Communist nation since he took office in January. He added that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world”, and echoed Trump’s comment that China will not invade Taiwan on the president’s watch.

China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to “reunify” with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. It has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games around Taiwan.

Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future.

“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 said.

But his comments on allies needing to increase spending is likely to cause consternation amongst partners, even though experts said Hegseth would face a relatively friendly audience in Singapore. China’s Defence Minister Dong Jun has decided to skip the major Asian security forum and Beijing has sent only an academic delegation.

Hegseth has previously taken aim at allies in Europe for not spending more on their own defence. In February, he warned Europe against treating America like a “sucker” while addressing a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

On Friday, while delivering the keynote address at the Shangri-La Dialogue, French President Emmanuel Macron said Hegseth was justified in asking Europe to increase its own defence spending.

“It’s hard to believe, a little bit, after some trips to Europe that I’m saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe as a new found example,” Hegseth said.

“NATO members are pledging to spend 5% of their GDP on defence, even Germany. So it doesn’t make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies in Asia spend less on defence in the face of an even more formidable threat, not to mention North Korea.”

Dutch Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said it was important to have Hegseth acknowledge that European countries were stepping up.

“It was for me maybe the first time or one of the first times I heard the U.S administration acknowledge this explicitly,” Brekelmans said, referring to Hegseth’s comments.

‘PATRONISING’

U.S. Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who is co-leading a bi-partisan delegation to the Shangri-la Dialogue, said it was noteworthy that Hegseth emphasised that the United States was committed to the region, but his language on allies was not helpful.

“I thought it was patronising of our friends in the Indo-Pacific in particular,” Duckworth said.

Spending on weapons and research is spiking among some Asian countries as they respond to a darkening security outlook by broadening their outside industrial partnerships while trying to boost their own defence industries, according to a new study by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the organisation that runs the Shangri-La Dialogue.

The spike comes even as Asian nations spent an average of 1.5% of GDP on defence in 2024, a figure that has kept relatively constant over the last decade, it said.

Hegseth suggested that allies in Europe focus on security on the European continent, so that Washington could focus on the threat posed by China in the Indo-Pacific, alongside more participation by allies in Asia.

“We would much prefer that the overwhelming balance of European investment be on that continent, so that as we partner there, which we will continue to do, we’re able to use our comparative advantage as an Indo-Pacific nation to support our partners here,” he said in response to a question after his speech.

But some of the Trump administration’s early moves in the Indo-Pacific have raised eyebrows. The U.S. moved air defence systems from Asia to the Middle East earlier this year as tensions with Iran spiked – an effort that took 73 C-17 flights.

Hegseth, a former Fox TV host who has spent much of his first months in office focused on domestic issues, spoke to the international audience on topics that he has frequently talked about when in the United States, like “restoring the warrior ethos.”

“We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace or adopt our politics or ideology. We are not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues,” Hegseth said. “We respect you, your traditions and your militaries. And we want to work with you where our shared interests align.”

Reporting by Idrees Ali. Additional reporting by Jun Yuan Yong and Fanny Potkin; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Shri Navaratnam

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