Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Asian nations to increase their military investments during remarks at a major security conference in Singapore on Saturday, citing concerns over China’s expanding military capabilities.
Speaking at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit, the defense secretary expressed what he described as “rightful alarm” regarding China’s military expansion efforts.
Despite his warnings about China’s military buildup, Hegseth adopted a relatively measured approach when discussing relations between the United States and China. In a notable omission, he avoided any mention of Taiwan during his address to the regional security gathering.
The defense secretary’s comments came as part of his speech to assembled leaders and officials from across the Asia-Pacific region at the annual security forum.
