U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in Singapore on May 30, greeting his counterparts from Southeast Asian nations ahead of a defense summit for which China has opted not to send its defense minister this year.
Hegseth is attending the Shangri-la Dialogue, where he said he will “ensure that [the Indo-Pacific] region understands America will be strong” amid rising influence from the Chinese communist regime.
“The United States is committed to working with our allies and partners to deter aggression by communist China in the Indo-Pacific. And we’re doing this in particular, re-establishing deterrence, through strength by standing shoulder to shoulder with you. We will unite against those who threaten a free and open Indo-Pacific,” he told Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers and senior defense officials at a meeting before the summit began….
Hegseth Greets ASEAN Counterparts at Defense Summit as China Opts Out
