US Secretary of Defense warns Indo-Pacific allies that China’s army is “rehearsing for a real deal”
US Secretary of Defense Pete HegsesHe reassured his India-Pacific allies on Saturday.Military and economic pressures from Chinawhile claiming that they will contribute more to their own defense.
He said Washington will strengthen its overseas defenses to counter what the Pentagon considers as a rapidly developing threat from Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance towards Taiwan. China has conducted numerous exercises to test what the autonomous island lockdown looks like, which Beijing claims for itself and that the US has pledged to defend.
The Chinese Army is “rehearsing for a real deal,” Hegses said in a keynote address at a security conference in Singapore. “We’re not going to sugar coat it. The threat poses by China is real, and it could be imminent.”
The head of the Chinese delegation accused Hegses of making “bassed accusations.”
“Some of the claims are fully manufactured, with some distorted facts, some say that thieves cry “stop the thieves,” Hu Zhi gad, vice president of China’s National Defense University. He offered no particular objections.
“These actions are merely attempts to cause trouble, incite division and create conflict to destabilize the Asia-Pacific region,” he said.
Hegus says China is training to invade Taiwan
China has a clear goal of ensuring that the military can takeTaiwanIf necessary, by 2027, a deadline that experts will consider as an ambitious goal rather than a hard-working war deadline.
China has also built sophisticated artificialsIslands in the South China SeaSupporting new military pre-post bases, it has developed highly advanced hypersonic and space capabilities.Space-based “Golden Dome” missile defense.
At the Shangri-la Dialogue, at the Global Security Conference hosted by the Institute for International Security, Hegseth said China is no longer merelyBuild an armyTo take Taiwan, he says, “I actively train every day.”
Hegseth called on China to make its ambitions in Latin America, particularly its efforts to increase its influence over the Panama Canal.
He urged Indo-Pacific countries to increase their defensive spending at a level similar to 5% of GDP in European countries.
“We all have to do our part,” Heggs said.
After the speech, the top European Union diplomat Kahakalas pushed back Hegses’ comments that European countries should focus their defensive efforts in their own regions and leave more people in the United States.
Questions about US commitment to the Indo-Pacific
He also repeated the pledges from previous administrations to strengthen US forces in the Indo-Pacific to provide a more robust deterrent. Both the Obama and Biden administrations have pivoted to the Pacific and have established new military agreements throughout the region, but a complete shift has not been realized.
Instead, US military resources from the Indo-Pacific have been regularly drawn out to support military needs in the Middle East and Europe, particularly since the war at war.UkraineandGaza. In the first few months ofPresident Donald TrumpThe second season is also true.
In the past few months, the Trump administration has taken the Patriot Missile Defense Battalion from the Indo-Pacific to send it back to the US to protect the US-Mexican border, a massive logistics operation that requires the flight of 73 military cargo aircraft.
Hegseth was asked why the US pulled these resources if the Indo-Pacific is a priority theatre. He did not respond directly, but said that resources are needed to protect against Houthi missile attacks launched from Yemen and to enhance protections against illegal immigration to the US.
At the same time, he emphasized the need for American allies and partners to strengthen their own defense spending and preparations, and said the US is not interested in going it alone.
“Ultimately, a strong, determined and competent network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,” he said. “China envy what we have together and see what we can bring collectively to our defense, but it’s for us all to ensure that investment protects that potential.”
Over the years, Indo-Pacific countries have tried to balance relations with both the US and China. Beijing is a major trading partner for many, but is also feared as a regional bully. This is due to increasingly positive claims about natural resources such as important fisheries.
Hegseth warned that there is risk in playing both sides in search of US military support and China’s economic support.
“Economic dependence on China only deepens the impact of malignant things and complicates the defence decision space in times of tension,” Heggs said.
He asked how the statement would be reconciled with Trump’s sudden tariff threats on most of the region.
But Illinois Democratic Sen. Tammy Duckworth, part of the Congressional delegation attending Shangri-La, opposed to putting pressure on local allies.
“The US is not asking people to choose between us and PRC,” Duckworth said in relation to the People’s Republic of China.
Australia’s Defense Minister Richard Marless welcomed Hegses’ assurance that the Indo-Pacific is an American strategic priority and agreed that Australia and other countries need to play their role.
“The reality is that there’s no effective balance of power in this region without the US, but we can’t just leave that to the US,” he said.
Still, Marless suggested that the Trump administration’s aggressive trade policy was counterproductive. “The shock and confusion from the high tariffs was costly and unstable.”
China sends lower level delegations
China usually sends its own defense minister to the meeting, but Dong Jun didn’t attend this year on a snub to the US over Trump’s unstable tariff war. His absence was what the US delegation said was going to capitalize it.
“We’re here this morning, and not someone else,” Hegses said.
Asked by members of the Chinese delegation how the US would commit if an Asian alliance like ASEAN had a distinction from Washington, Heggs said the US would not be constrained by “the extent to which the previous administration saw the region.”
“We are opening our weapons to countries on the spectrum, including traditional allies, non-traditional allies,” he said.
He said US support does not require local governments to match the West on cultural or climate issues.
This story was originally introduced Fortune.com