Beijing Navy, Coast Guard patrol Scarborough
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, vowing 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 sparred with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe.
“The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defense officials from around the world.
Beijing is “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” he added.
On Saturday, China’s Southern Theatre navy conducted combat readiness patrols around the disputed Scarborough Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, Xinhua news agency reported.
On the same day, the China Coast Guard likewise conducted law enforcement patrols in the territorial waters and surrounding areas of Scarborough, the CCG said in a statement through its WeChat account.
Scarborough Shoal, located 124 nautical miles off Masinloc, Zambales, is within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. underscored the crucial and strategic significance of “sustained US leadership…especially for the smaller states of Southeast Asia.”
During the security meeting in Singapore, Hegseth warned the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and “rehearsing for the real deal.”
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.
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.”
‘Wake-up call’
Hegseth described China’s conduct as a “wake-up call,” accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber-attacks, 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.
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 Colonel Zhou Bo, from the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told AFP that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted “peaceful reunification.” With AFP
