SINGAPORE - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that relations between his country and China are better than they have been in many years under President Donald Trump's leadership but warned of the Asian power's rapid military rise.
In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual security forum, in Singapore, Hegseth said there is "rightful alarm" in the Indo-Pacific about "China's historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond."
Hegseth said the United States, with its allies, will prevent Asia from being dominated by "any hegemon" that would "unravel the regional balance of power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve."
"We do not approach this challenge with needless confrontation, but with a posture of measured and deliberate strength. Our focus is strong, quiet and clear," he said.
He said maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication is crucial for the United States and China to reduce the risk of miscalculation.
However, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun was absent from the conference, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, for a second straight year.
To ensure peace and prosperity in Asia, which he described as the world's most dynamic economic area, Hegseth urged China to respect the United States' long-standing presence in the region, stressing that it is a Pacific nation.
His remarks came two weeks after Trump's summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, during which they prioritized stabilizing relations between the two rival powers over solving major geopolitical and economic issues.
Against such a backdrop, the Pentagon chief was less confrontational toward China than in his speech last year, which raised alarm bells about "devastating consequences" for the world should there be any attempt by Beijing to invade Taiwan.
His address this year stopped short of directly mentioning Taiwan, the self-governing democratic island that China claims as part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary.
During the summit, Xi told Trump that Taiwan is the "most important issue" in their countries' relations and that there will be "clashes" if Washington does not carefully address Beijing's position on the island.
While speaking Saturday about the Trump administration's strategy for peace in the region, Hegseth highlighted that it is built on realism, not on "wishful thinking or utopian idealism."
Unlike western European countries, he said, the United States thinks its allies in Asia have long understood that the bedrock of a durable partnership is not based on "idealistic values, but on the concrete alignment of national interests."
"There is undeniable strength in this clarity, and it is what makes our Pacific allies and partners such reliable counterweights in the face of regional threats," he said.
He lauded countries such as Japan, the Philippines, Thailand and South Korea for stepping up their defense capabilities.
But at the same time, he reiterated a call for all U.S. allies and partners to assume greater responsibility for their own national security, including increasing defense spending to at least 3.5 percent of their gross domestic product.
"The era of the United States subsidizing the defense of wealthy nations is over," he said. "We need partners, not protectorates. We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency."
Regarding Japan, he praised the country for taking "concrete steps to accelerate its defense transformation" and said the Trump administration has "high expectations" for the alliance with Tokyo.
"Together, we are enhancing our force posture and investing in the right capabilities," he said. "We are not at the finish line yet, and there is still some heavy lifting ahead, but the momentum is headed in the right direction."
