US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth yesterday warned that any Chinese attempt to use force against Taiwan would have consequences far beyond the Indo-Pacific region, calling for coordinated regional efforts to deter aggression and ensure stability.
“Every day, China’s military harasses Taiwan. These activities have been paired with China’s rapid military modernization and buildup,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.
“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said, adding that “any attempt by communist China to conquer Taiwan would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
He also reiterated US President Donald Trump’s vow that “China will not invade [Taiwan] on his watch.”
China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to “unify” the nation, 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.
The government rejects China’s sovereignty claims, saying only Taiwanese 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.
He reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to the Indo-Pacific region, which he described as “America’s priority theater,” and called for greater cooperation with Japan, the Philippines and other partners in the region to maintain peace and enhance deterrence.
The US is “reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China” through improving its forward force posture, rebuilding its defense industrial bases, and helping allies and partners bolster their defense capabilities, Hegseth said.
While the US does not seek conflict with China, it would not allow Beijing to “dominate and control” the Indo-Pacific region, he said, calling out Beijing’s buildup in the South China Sea and use of cybercapabilities to “steal industrial technology” and “attack critical infrastructure.”
Hegseth urged US partners to increase military spending, adding that as Washington pivots to the Indo-Pacific region — leaving Europe to take more responsibility for its own defense — it also expects its Asian and Pacific partners to “upgrade” their militaries and act as “force multipliers.”
He also called out China for its ambitions in Latin America, particularly its efforts to increase its influence over the Panama Canal.
Hegseth urged countries in the region to increase defense spending to levels similar to the 5 percent of GDP European nations are pressed to contribute.
Following the speech, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas pushed back at Hegseth’s comment that European countries should focus their defense efforts in their own region and leave the Indo-Pacific region more to the US.
With North Korean troops fighting for Russia and China supporting Moscow, European and Asian security were “very much interlinked,” she said.
Over the past few months, the Trump administration has taken a Patriot missile defense battalion out of the Indo-Pacific region to send it to the Middle East, a massive logistical operation that required more than 73 military cargo aircraft flights, and sent coast guard ships back to the US to help defend the US-Mexico border.
Hegseth was asked why the US pulled those resources if the Indo-Pacific region was its priority.
He did not answer directly, but said the shift of resources was necessary to defend against Houthi missile attacks from Yemen and to bolster protections against illegal immigration to the US.
At the same time, he stressed the need for allies and partners of the US to step up their own defense spending and preparations, saying that Washington was not interested in doing it alone.
“Ultimately a strong, resolute and capable network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,” he said. “China envies what we have together and it sees what we can collectively bring to bear on defense, but it’s up to all of us to ensure that we live up to that potential by investing.”
China usually sends its own minister of defense to the forum, but Chinese Minister of National Defense Dong Jun (董軍) did not attend this year.
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