U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth applauds during ASEAN Plus gathering astatine the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting successful Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, connected Nov. 1, 2025.
Vincent Thian | Via Reuters
Pentagon main Pete Hegseth connected Saturday took purpose astatine Beijing implicit an summation successful "destabilizing actions" successful the South China Sea and committed to enactment Southeast Asian countries with exertion to assistance them respond jointly to Chinese threats.
On a 2nd time successful Kuala Lumpur packed with meetings that included multilateral talks with allies Australia, Japan and the Philippines, Hegseth projected to ASEAN defence ministers the gathering of shared maritime domain consciousness and said China had shown a deficiency of respect and threatened their territorial sovereignty.
"You unrecorded it connected the threats we each look from China's aggression and people of actions successful the South China Sea and elsewhere," helium said.
"We request to make our associated capabilities to respond, and this includes being capable to show maritime behaviour and make the tools that let america to respond rapidly ... ensuring that whoever is connected the receiving extremity of aggression and provocation is then, therefore, by definition, not alone."
"No 1 tin innovate and standard similar the United States of America, and we're anxious to stock those capabilities with allies and partners," Hegseth added.
Chinese Coast Guard armada
Hegseth's remarks came a time aft the equipped forces of Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines and the U.S. held a drill successful the South China Sea, a patrol that a Chinese subject spokesperson said "seriously undermined bid and stability."
Beijing claims sovereignty implicit astir the full South China Sea via a enactment connected its maps that overlaps with parts of the exclusive economical zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
China has deployed an armada of seashore defender vessels hundreds of kilometers disconnected its mainland that has repeatedly clashed with vessels of the Philippines and been accused of disrupting vigor activities of Malaysia and Vietnam.
Beijing denies acting aggressively and says its seashore defender has operated professionally successful defending Chinese territory from incursions.
On Friday, its Defense Minister Dong Jun said it was indispensable for China and ASEAN to enactment unneurotic to "pool Eastern strength" and safeguard bid and stableness successful the South China Sea.
Testing of atomic weapons prudent
Hegseth's sojourn to Southeast Asia came soon aft U.S. President Donald Trump announced connected societal media that helium had asked the U.S. subject to "start investigating our Nuclear Weapons," aft a halt for 33 years, a determination that appeared to beryllium a connection to rival atomic powers China and Russia.
It was not instantly wide whether Trump meant nuclear-explosive testing, which would beryllium carried retired by the National Nuclear Security Administration, oregon formation investigating of nuclear-capable missiles.
Asked by reporters what benignant of investigating Trump was referring to, Hegseth said his section would remark later, adding: "We person precise susceptible atomic capabilities, and investigating them is lone prudent."
In addressing the defence ministers' forum, Hegseth touted Washington's bid credentials and said the U.S. was dedicated to gathering a subject "unmatched successful planetary power," portion stressing its committedness to allies and partners successful the Indo-Pacific.
He said U.S. dialog with China was important and the accidental to speech to his Chinese counterpart connected Friday was of value, but warned Beijing's actions indispensable beryllium watched closely.
"We question peace. We bash not question conflict, but we indispensable guarantee that China is not seeking to predominate you oregon anybody else," Hegseth told ASEAN counterparts.
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