Hegseth Vows to Resist China ‘Hegemony’ Amid ‘Frightful alarm’ in Southeast Asia

SINGAPORE—Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the United States wants to maintain the “status quo that has enabled extraordinary growth and opportunity” in Asia. 

“What we seek, and what the president has constantly articulated, is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as our allies,” Hegseth said. “A favorable but durable balance of power, in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.” 

Hegseth spoke Saturday morning at the Shangri-La Dialogue conference in Singapore, where Indo-Pacific leaders gather to discuss issues facing the region. For the second year in a row, no high-ranking officials from China attended. 

“When we look across the region today, there is frightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said. 

He said the U.S. and Asia agree that “a Pacific dominated by any hegemon that would unwrap the regional balance of power and undermine people that we all seek to preserve.

“The Department of War is working with the utmost focus to prevent any such unraveling,” Hegseth said. 

Yet Hegseth said U.S. relations with China have never been stronger after President Donald Trump’s recent state visit to Beijing.

“Relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years,” Hegseth said. “President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China. It’s not a coincidence that this has happened.”

Trump’s conversations with President Xi Jinping reinforced these goals, said Hegseth, who joined Trump on the trip and listened to “hours of candid conversations” between the two. 

“They agreed that the United States and China should build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on fairness and reciprocity,” he said, “reaffirming that while our nations will vigorously protect our respective interests, we can secure practical, mutually beneficial agreements where our interests align.”

But the dialogue between Xi and Trump is not “capitulation,” according to Hegseth. 

Rather, it’s a “practical guardrail, ensuring the relationship our leaders seek at the top is preserved at every level,” he said. 

Hegseth said the U.S. will not pursue “needless confrontation,” but instead approaches the Indo-Pacific with “deliberate strength.”

“Our allies across Asia do not seek constant escalation, rhetorical theatrics, or a region defined by public confrontation,” he said. “What they want, and what the United States delivers, is strength that is disciplined, resolve that is steady, and leadership that is confident enough to speak and walk softly while carrying a big stick.”

While the U.S. has significant interests in the Indo-Pacific, it respects sovereignty in the region, Hegseth said. 

The war secretary said Western Europe should learn from the United States’ relationship with Asia. 

“We need partners, not protectorates,” he said. “We seek alliances built on shared responsibility, not dependency. This is the maturation of our alliances in a new era.”