Pete Hegseth Tones Down China Threat, Reaffirms U.S. Commitment To Pacific Security

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Pacific allies at the Shangri-La defense conference in Singapore that Washington remained committed to the region while toning down previous comments calling China a threat.

Speaking to a group of world leaders, diplomats and top security officials, Hegseth said the region “has profound implications for U.S. security and prosperity” and that Washington’s priority was to “achieve a lasting and favorable balance of power in the Pacific.”

Al Jazeera

The remarks came about two weeks after President Trump visited Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, after which Trump called Xi a “great leader” and said they were going to have a “fantastic future together.”

Hegseth also said the two leaders agreed that China and the U.S. should “build a constructive relationship of strategic stability, based on fairness and reciprocity,” while still saying the U.S. would vigorously protect its respective interests.

U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth accused the Trump administration of “cozying up” to China, saying “I worry that this administration is being distracted into wars that they’ve started in other parts of the world at the expense of our commitment here in the Indo-Pacific.”

Duckworth added that she was concerned the president was entering policies where “he’s doing what Beijing wants him to do,” as the conference followed Trump’s questions about Washington’s willingness to defend Taiwan.

AP News

The articles say China claims the democratic self-governing island as its own, and Xi has not ruled out using force to take it, while the U.S. is required by law to help provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself.

Hegseth told the forum there was “no change in our status” toward Taiwan, but he would not comment on the arms deal, saying “Any decision about future Taiwan arms sales, as the president said, will rest with him.”

El Mundo said Hegseth avoided mentioning Taiwan in his main speech and skimmed over disputes in the South China Sea, but that the strategic message remained intact that the U.S. would continue to strengthen its military presence in Asia-Pacific to prevent China from altering the regional balance of power.

“Chine-USA : la nouvelle bataille du Pacifique 53 min Disponible jusqu'au 09/02/2027 Entre paradis et poudrière géopolitique, les îles Salomon, par leur position dans le Pacifique, subissent la rivalité féroce entre la Chine, l’Australie et les États-Unis”

Arte.tv

In that account, Hegseth replaced aggressive language with a “posture of measured and deliberate strength,” stating, “We do not confront this challenge with unnecessary confrontation, but with a posture of measured and deliberate strength.”

El Mundo also said Hegseth reiterated that Washington’s military strategy remains focused on deterrence by denial within the First Island Chain, described as the geographic arc stretching from Japan to the Philippines via Taiwan.

The same article quoted Hegseth saying, “A Pacific dominated by any hegemonic power would derail the regional balance,” framing the approach as maintaining strategic pressure on Beijing without fueling a verbal spiral that could complicate diplomatic efforts after the Trump-Xi meeting.