US defense chief Hegseth vows to counter ‘China’s aggression’ on first Asia visit

By Simone McCarthy, CNN

Hong Kong (CNN) — The United States will enhance its military alliance with the Philippines as it aims to “reestablish deterrence” to counter “China’s aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday during a trip to Manila.

The efforts reflect the strength of the US-Philippines’ “ironclad alliance, particularly in the face of Communist China’s aggression in the region,” Hegseth said during a joint press conference with his counterpart Gilbert Teodoro.

The US will deploy additional advanced military capabilities for joint training, enhance interoperability for “high end operations” and prioritize defense industrial cooperation, Hegseth told reporters.

Hegseth made the remarks as he opened his first visit to Asia as defense chief – an important opportunity for US President Donald Trump’s administration to set a tone for its engagement in the region, which comes as Hegseth is under a cloud of scrutiny for discussing American war plans on commercial messaging app Signal.

The Philippines has been on the front lines of China’s increasingly aggressive posture in Asia. Beijing seeks to assert its claim over the bulk of the South China Sea, despite an international ruling denying its sovereignty over the waterway.

The Trump administration, Hegseth pledged, would “truly prioritize a shift” to the Indo-Pacific with the “recognition that for the 21st century to be a free century, America needs to stand alongside our allies and partners shoulder to shoulder.”

“Together, we’ll encourage our other partners and allies in the region to step up their efforts and their cooperation to increase defense capabilities and strengthen deterrence,” Hegseth said of the US-Philippine partnership.

The defense chief’s visit comes as American allies around the world have watched warily for how Trump, long a critic of the structure of US alliances, would manage these long-standing partnerships during his second term in office.

His administration has already shaken up decades-old US alliances in Europe, a region on which Hegseth earlier this year warned that Washington could no longer be primarily focused as it looks to China – its “peer competitor” in Asia – and securing US borders as key security concerns.

Hegseth will also visit US ally Japan during his tour, which comes as he seeks to tamp down controversy around his decision to share information about US military strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen on Signal.

The defense secretary in particular has been under fire among the senior Trump administration officials who were part of the group, after The Atlantic magazine revealed the details that he shared in the Signal chat about the pending strike, including the timing and types of aircraft.

Hegseth declined to accept he was at fault in the incident when asked by a reporter on Friday if he bore any responsibility for what others have called a mistake.

“I’m responsible for ensuring that our department is prepared and ready to deter and defeat our enemies,” he said. “I’m quite proud … of what our forces in CENTCOM (United States Central Command) did on that initial series of very effective and devastating strikes and the ongoing campaign that we’re undertaking.”

‘Ironclad’ commitment

Despite the shadow of the American furor over the leaked Signal chat, Hegseth’s visit and rhetoric on US alliances, however, is likely to be welcomed in Asia.

The American military presence in Asia is seen by allies as a critical counterbalance in a fractious region where China has been rapidly expanding its military might and a belligerent North Korea has been empowered by closer ties with Russia.

Trump has repeatedly questioned the structure of US military alliances and whether the US was getting enough out of such partnerships and basing arrangements, including those in Asia where tens of thousands of troops are stationed in sprawling bases in Japan and Korea.

Speaking alongside Hegseth, Teodoro, the Philippine defense secretary, said: “What is at stake in our unilateral and bilateral activities is not merely the security of either the United States or the Philippines.”

“We are facing a common threat, which now is the overreach of the Communist Party of China,” he said.

In the Philippines, the US defense commitment is seen as a key deterrent to Chinese aggression. Chinese and Philippine vessels have engaged in multiple collisions and face-offs over the past year as tensions elevated around hotspot areas of contention in the South China Sea. China maintains its right to defend its “sovereignty” and has characterized the Philippines as provocative.

When asked about Hegseth’s Manila visit in a regular news briefing Friday, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson accused the US of “attempting to undermine regional peace and stability” as it “continuously strengthens its military deployments in the region.”

The US and the Philippines should not “exaggerate the so-called threat, incite confrontation, or escalate regional tensions,” spokesman Guo Jiakun said, while disputing that there was “any issue with freedom of navigation” in the South China Sea.

“We also advise the Philippines not to rely on the US to create chaos at sea and, even more importantly, not to attempt to provoke military confrontation,” he said.

Earlier Friday ahead of a meeting with Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., Hegseth expressed an “ironclad” commitment to the Philippines’ defense.

That echoes language used by former President Joe Biden, who championed US alliances and sought to bring American partners in Asia closer together on security cooperation in the face of what the US sees as a growing security threat from Beijing.

In response to a question about how the Trump naval posture in the South China Sea would be distinct from Biden’s, Hegseth criticized “years of … weakness.”

“It’s not my job to determine where the Seventh Fleet goes. I defer to (Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel) Paparo and his war plans, real war plans,” Hegseth replied.

That command was prepared to “prepared to work with those in the region” to create “dynamics and strategic dilemmas for the Communist Chinese that help them reconsider whether or not violence or action is something they want to undertake.”

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