US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. Photo: Andrew Leyden / Zuma Press / Profimedia
US War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday criticized Beijing for increasing “destabilizing actions” in the South China Sea and pledged to support Southeast Asian countries with technology to help them jointly respond to Chinese threats, Reuters reports.
On the second day of a visit to Kuala Lumpur, where he also held multilateral talks with Australia, Japan and the Philippines, Hegseth told defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) that Beijing was showing disrespect and endangering their territorial sovereignty.
“We need to develop our joint response capabilities, and that includes monitoring maritime behavior and developing tools that allow us to respond quickly … ensuring that anyone who is a victim of aggression and provocation is not, by definition, alone,” the Pentagon chief said.
“No one can innovate and scale like the United States of America, and we are eager to share these capabilities with allies and partners,” he added.
Pete Hegseth made the remarks a day after military forces from Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines exercised in the South China Sea, a patrol that a Chinese military spokesman accused of “severely undermining peace and stability”.
Tensions in the South China Sea
Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, but the line on its maps overlaps with parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
The Chinese coast guard has deployed ships hundreds of kilometers from mainland China, repeatedly colliding with Philippine vessels and being accused of disrupting Malaysia and Vietnam's energy activities.
Beijing denies that it acted aggressively and maintains that the Chinese coast guard operated professionally to defend its national territory from incursions.
On Friday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun said it was necessary for ASEAN and China to work together to “combine eastern forces” and safeguard peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Speaking at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Forum, Pete Hegseth praised Washington's peace efforts and said the US wants to build a military “unmatched as a global power”, while underlining its commitment to allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.
He said dialogue between the US and China was important, but cautioned that Beijing's actions must be watched carefully.
“We're looking for peace. We're not looking for conflict, but we have to make sure China doesn't try to dominate you or anybody else,” Hegseth also told his ASEAN counterparts.
