Hegseth at Shangri-La Dialogue: No state, including China, should dominate Asia
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the US is pursuing a “stable equilibrium” in Asia and opposes any single country establishing dominance in the region, including China, News.Az reports, citing DW.
Speaking at the regional security summit, Hegseth outlined Washington’s foreign policy objectives for Asia, stressing that the US seeks what he described as a “genuinely stable equilibrium” that serves both American interests and those of its allies.
He added that the goal is a durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony or threaten the security and prosperity of the United States or its partners.
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He also said there is “rightful alarm” over China’s expanding military capabilities and its growing activities across the Pacific region. However, he emphasized that the United States does not aim for “needless confrontation” in the region.
“When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said.
At the same time, Hegseth noted that relations with Beijing are “better than they have been in many years,” pointing to increased military-to-military communications and interactions as evidence of improving ties.
Richard Walker, DW’s chief international editor, observed that Taiwan was not mentioned during Hegseth’s speech. When asked about a paused arms sale to Taiwan, Hegseth said the decision would ultimately be made by President Donald Trump.
The defense secretary also urged US allies and partners in Asia to increase their defense spending to 3.5% of their GDPs. He said the United States expects greater burden-sharing, arguing that “the era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over.”
“We need partners, not protectorates,” he said, adding that strong alliances require “skin in the game” and that there should be “no freeloading.”
By Nijat Babayev
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