SINGAPORE — US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, and vowed that the United States was “here to stay” in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology and influence over strategic corners of the globe.
On the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth met with Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to bolstering defense cooperation with the Philippines.
STRIKE GROUP Satellite imagery taken on May 28, 2025, shows a formidable Chinese carrier strike group (CSG), spearheaded by the aircraft carrier Liaoning, conducting operations approximately 500 kilometers southeast of Taiwan. The CSG comprises a powerful escort fleet, including a cutting-edge Type 055 destroyer, three Type 052 destroyers, two Type 054 frigates, and a Type 901 fast combat support ship. IMAGE COURTESY OF @MT_Anderson
He described the two nations’ partnership as key to helping keep peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.
Since taking office in January, Trump has launched a trade war with China, sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing.China’s army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said in a keynote speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. “We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”
Hegseth said China is no longer just building up its military forces to take Taiwan; it’s “actively training for it, every day.”
Beijing is “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” he added.
Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion.
The United States was “reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China,” Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defenses in the face of mounting threats.
Hegseth also called out China for its ambitions in Latin America, particularly its efforts to increase its influence over the Panama Canal.
Wake-up call
Hegseth described China’s conduct as a “wake-up call,” accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyberattacks, harassing its neighbors, and “illegally seizing and militarizing lands” in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entire disputed waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.
It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defense forum, according to US officials.
As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China’s military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine “combat readiness patrols” around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines.
“China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years,” Casey Mace, charge d’affaires at the US Embassy in Singapore, told journalists ahead of the meeting.
“I think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that.”
Beijing has not sent any top defense ministry officials to the summit, dispatching a delegation from the People’s Liberation Army National Defense University instead.
Hegseth’s hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference.
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, told reporters the speech was “very unfriendly” and “very confrontational,” accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbors while bullying its own — including Canada and Greenland.
Former senior Col. Zhou Bo, from the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted “peaceful reunification.”
Hegseth’s comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had “violated” a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations.
The world’s two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days.
Priority theater
Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Indo-Pacific was “America’s priority theater,” pledging to ensure “China cannot dominate us — or our allies and partners.”
He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies, including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump’s vow that “China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch.”
But he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and “quickly upgrade their own defenses.”
“Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,” Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members, including Germany, to move toward Trump’s spending target of 5 percent of GDP.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, also in Singapore, said the Trump administration’s “tough love” had helped push the continent to beef up its defenses.
“It’s love nonetheless, so it’s better than no love,” Kallas quipped when asked about Hegseth’s speech.
In a readout released over the weekend, the US Department of Defense said Hegseth and Teodoro discussed “steps the two countries are taking together to reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific,” as well as ways to “further enhance alliance readiness.”
“The Secretaries noted the importance of partnership and transparency in deterring China and committed to continued progress on strengthening their defense cooperation,” it said.
During the meeting, Hegseth commended the Philippines for standing up against China’s aggressive actions targeting lawful Philippine activities in the South China Sea.
“I want to applaud them for their courage and their clarity in the South China Sea, and the recognition of the challenges that we face,” he said. “Shoulder-to-shoulder, we want peace and stability, and our partnership is central to that.”
Teodoro said the Philippines is eager to enhance its already robust defense relationship with the US.
“We will continue to enhance our bilateral and multilateral relationship, all with the vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific and, of course, our shared interest in upholding a rules-based international order,” he said.
“The Philippines does seek peace, but in this instance, it is important to have a sustainable peace that is based on our own resilience and alliances with like-minded partners.”
They hailed the recent conclusion of Exercise Balikatan in the Philippines, which the US Defense Department described as the “biggest and most complex” in alliance history.
The drills, the department said, enhanced deterrence by enabling the two countries to train together and for the US to deploy increasingly advanced capabilities, including the Typhon missile system, the Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS), and highly capable unmanned surface vessels.
Cooperation with Singapore, Australia
In the same defense forum, Teodoro met with his counterparts from Singapore and Australia, underlining Manila’s equal commitment to boosting more “strategic defense partnerships” in the region.
In a meeting with Singapore Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing, Teodoro conveyed Manila’s interest to learn from Singapore’s experience in operating the C-130J aircraft, especially in operations, maintenance and cost-efficiency.
DEFENSE SUMMIT US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (center) and his Singaporean counterpart Chan Chun Sing (center, right) take part in a ministerial roundtable with Kaja Kallas (3rd, right), the European Union’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, and vice president of the European Commission; Japan’s Defense Minister Gen Nakatani (right); Philippines’ Secretary of National Defense Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (center, left); and other ministers during the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore on May 31, 2025. PHOTO BY MOHD RASFAN VIA AFP
Chan welcomed the proposal and invited Philippine special forces to conduct training in Singapore.
He also expressed interest in reciprocal opportunities for Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) troops in the Philippines, as well as expanding collaboration in navigation flights; Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO); and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR).
Teodoro’s meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Richard Marles reiterated the same spirit of deepening bilateral cooperation.
The Filipino official highlighted the growing momentum in trilateral defense engagements involving the Philippines, Australia and the US.
He also conveyed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to reinforce defense ties not only with Australia but also with Japan, South Korea, and New Zealand.
Marles praised the evolving defense relationship and welcomed the two states’ sustained maritime cooperation.
The Department of National Defense said Teodoro offered to host the second Philippines-Australia Defense Ministers’ Meeting, back-to-back with the conduct of Exercise ALON between Philippine and Australian forces.
