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Kuwait Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Kuwait Times
China preparing to use military force in Asia, Pentagon warns
SINGAPORE: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned on 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 region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe. China's representatives at the conference blasted the speech, calling it 'groundless accusations fabricated out of thin air'. Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, has sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing. '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 said. Hegseth warned that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and 'rehearsing for the real deal'. China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held large-scale exercises around the island that are often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion. The United States was 'reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China', Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defenses in the face of mounting threats. 'Stirring up trouble' 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 disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit. It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore forum, according to US officials. As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China's military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine 'combat readiness patrols' around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines. Beijing did not send any top defense ministry officials to the summit, dispatching instead a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defense University led by Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng. Without referring to Hegseth by name, Hu said of his speech that 'these actions are essentially about stirring up trouble, creating division, inciting confrontation, and destabilizing the Asia-Pacific'. 'They run counter to the prevailing trend, are unpopular - and are bound to fail,' Hu told a panel discussion. Hegseth's hard-hitting address also 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. Hegseth's comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had 'violated' a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations. The world's two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days. 'Cannot dominate' Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Asia-Pacific region was 'America's priority theatre', 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'. However, he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and 'quickly upgrade their own defenses'. 'Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,' Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move towards Trump's defense spending target of five percent of GDP. 'Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap.' — AFP
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Politics
- Nahar Net
Macron warns US, Indo-Pacific not to abandon Ukraine as it gears for potential China conflict
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:34 French President Emmanuel Macron warned the U.S. and a large audience of Indo-Pacific nations Friday night that they risk a dangerous double standard as they concentrate on a potential conflict with China if that shift comes at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. Macron's remarks come as the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. He warned that abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. Macron and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and top defense officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China's growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflicts in Asia. It's Hegseth's first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, which is taking place against the backdrop of heightened rhetoric between Beijing and Washington. The Trump administration has threatened China with triple-digit tariffs, and there's some uncertainty in the region over how committed the U.S. is to the defense of Taiwan, which also faces possible 32% American tariffs. China claims the self-governing democracy as its own, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force. China sends military aircraft, ships and spy balloons near Taiwan as part of a campaign of daily harassment, and currently has an aircraft carrier in the waters southeast of the island. Hegseth told reporters before he boarded his plane for Singapore that Washington's policies were meant to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. "We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese," he said. "We will stay strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about." China, which usually sends its defense minister to the Shangri-La forum, sent a much lower level delegation instead, led by Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, the vice president of the People's Liberation Army National Defense University. The delegation was expected to speak Saturday on a panel on "cooperative maritime security" alongside representatives from Japan, Vietnam, Chile and the U.K. — notable in that China's aggressive global fisheries tactics have been a regular topic of concern not only in the Indo-Pacific but as far away as Latin America and the Arctic. Defense officials traveling with Hegseth, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, called the absence of a higher-level Chinese delegation an opportunity for the U.S. to make inroads. "We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here," Hegseth said as he met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Allies are worried about US commitment to their defense Hegseth's trip to Singapore is his second to the region since becoming defense secretary, following a March visit to the Philippines, which has seen escalating confrontations with China over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. That trip, which also included a stop in Japan, brought a degree of relief over growing concerns from the Philippines and others in the region about U.S. support from a president who has taken more of a transactional approach to diplomacy and seems wary of foreign engagements. The U.S. has been pursuing a "free and open Indo-Pacific" policy, which includes regularly sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, which is claimed almost in its entirety by China. The European Union has adopted a more economics-driven approach, but several European nations have also regularly taken part in the freedom of navigation exercises, including France, which sent a carrier strike group on a five-month mission through the Indo-Pacific that concluded in April. France steps up its presence in Indo-Pacific In its published Indo-Pacific strategy, France has underscored the need to "preserve a rules-based international order" in the face of "China's increasing power and territorial claims" and its global competition with the United States. France's own ties to the Indo-Pacific are strong, with more than 1.6 million of its citizens living in the region in French overseas territories. Following a meeting Friday with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Macron told reporters there was room in the region for more than just the two superpowers. "We are neither China nor the U.S., we don't want to depend on any of them," he said. "We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region." Wong underscored Macron's point, saying that Singapore and the greater region were not looking for exclusive arrangements with any single power. "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition," he said. In his speech later, Macron is expected also to stress that the war in Ukraine is having a worldwide impact and that Russia seeks to destabilize Asia, the French president's office said. While democracies from the region, including Australia, South Korea and Japan, have been aiding Ukraine, China has been growingly supportive of Russia and North Korea has sent troops to fight for Moscow. The conference comes as civil war continues to rage in Myanmar, creating a massive humanitarian crisis that has only been compounded by the effects of a devastating earthquake that hit in March. It also follows the outbreak of violence this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire between the two sides. Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of land disputes, though Thailand said after the short skirmish that the situation had been resolved. Of greater concern, nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan came to the brink of war earlier this month in their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people, and Pakistan shot down several Indian planes before a truce was declared.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Macron warns US, Indo-Pacific not to abandon Ukraine as it gears for potential China conflict
SINGAPORE (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron warned the U.S. and a large audience of Indo-Pacific nations Friday night that they risk a dangerous double standard as they concentrate on a potential conflict with China if that shift comes at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. Macron's remarks come as the U.S. is considering withdrawing troops from Europe to shift them to the Indo-Pacific. He warned that abandoning Ukraine would eventually erode U.S. credibility in deterring any potential conflict with China over Taiwan. In a speech that emphasized France's tight ties to the Indo-Pacific, Macron said that any shifts to developing a more hard-line deterrent stance in the region is still tied to how the world — and particularly the West — treats other critical issues, including climate change and Israel's ongoing military operations in Gaza. The speech was notable in that Macron delivered it with U.S. President Donald Trump's Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the audience and as not only France, but countries around the globe are dealing with Trump's fluctuating tariff threats. Both Europe and those same Indo-Pacific nations also find themselves increasingly pulled between the competing interests of Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. 'We want to cooperate. But we don't want to be instructed on a daily basis what is allowed, what is not allowed and how our life will change because of the decision of a single person," Macron said, in an apparent jab at Trump that could have also been just as easily pointed at Xi. Macron and Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and top defense officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China's growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflicts in Asia. It's Hegseth's first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, which is taking place against the backdrop of heightened rhetoric between Beijing and Washington. The Trump administration has threatened China with triple-digit tariffs, and there's some uncertainty in the region over how committed the U.S. is to the defense of Taiwan, which also faces possible 32% American tariffs. China claims the self-governing democracy as its own, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force. China sends military aircraft, ships and spy balloons near Taiwan as part of a campaign of daily harassment, and currently has an aircraft carrier in the waters southeast of the island. China, which usually sends its defense minister to the Shangri-La forum, sent a much lower level delegation instead, led by Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, the vice president of the People's Liberation Army National Defense University. The delegation was expected to speak Saturday on a panel on 'cooperative maritime security' alongside representatives from Japan, Vietnam, Chile and the U.K. — notable in that China's aggressive global fisheries tactics have been a regular topic of concern not only in the Indo-Pacific but as far away as Latin America and the Arctic. Defense officials traveling with Hegseth, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, called the absence of a higher-level Chinese delegation an opportunity for the U.S. to make inroads. 'We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here,' Hegseth said as he met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Allies are worried about US commitment to their defense Hegseth's trip to Singapore is his second to the region since becoming defense secretary, following a March visit to the Philippines, which has seen escalating confrontations with China over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. That trip, which also included a stop in Japan, brought a degree of relief over growing concerns from the Philippines and others in the region about U.S. support from a president who has taken more of a transactional approach to diplomacy and seems wary of foreign engagements. The U.S. has been pursuing a 'free and open Indo-Pacific' policy, which includes regularly sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, which is claimed almost in its entirety by China. The European Union has adopted a more economics-driven approach, but several European nations have also regularly taken part in the freedom of navigation exercises, including France, which sent a carrier strike group on a five-month mission through the Indo-Pacific that concluded in April. France steps up its presence in Indo-Pacific In its published Indo-Pacific strategy, France has underscored the need to 'preserve a rules-based international order' in the face of 'China's increasing power and territorial claims' and its global competition with the United States. France's own ties to the Indo-Pacific are strong, with more than 1.6 million of its citizens living in the region in French overseas territories. Following a meeting Friday with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Macron told reporters there was room in the region for more than just the two superpowers. 'We are neither China nor the U.S., we don't want to depend on any of them," he said. 'We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region.' Wong underscored Macron's point, saying that Singapore and the greater region were not looking for exclusive arrangements with any single power. "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition,' he said. In his speech later, Macron is expected also to stress that the war in Ukraine is having a worldwide impact and that Russia seeks to destabilize Asia, the French president's office said. While democracies from the region, including Australia, South Korea and Japan, have been aiding Ukraine, China has been growingly supportive of Russia and North Korea has sent troops to fight for Moscow. The conference comes as civil war continues to rage in Myanmar, creating a massive humanitarian crisis that has only been compounded by the effects of a devastating earthquake that hit in March. It also follows the outbreak of violence this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire between the two sides. Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of land disputes, though Thailand said after the short skirmish that the situation had been resolved. Of greater concern, nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan came to the brink of war earlier this month in their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people, and Pakistan shot down several Indian planes before a truce was declared.
The Star
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Macron will kick off Singapore security conference with Hegseth in attendance
SINGAPORE (AP): French President Emmanuel Macron and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth are among the world leaders, diplomats and top defense officials in Singapore this weekend for a security forum that will focus on China's growing assertiveness, the global impact of Russia's war on Ukraine and the flare-up of conflicts in Asia. Macron opens the conference with a keynote address Friday night that is expected to touch on all of those issues, as well as the pressure the hefty tariffs announced by US President Donald Trump's administration is putting on Asian allies. It's Hegseth's first time to the Shangri-La Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies, which is taking place against the backdrop of heightened rhetoric between Beijing and Washington. The Trump administration has threatened China with triple-digit tariffs, and there's some uncertainty in the region over how committed the US is to the defense of Taiwan, which also faces possible 32% American tariffs. China claims the self-governing democracy as its own, and Chinese President Xi Jinping has not ruled out taking it by force. China sends military aircraft, ships and spy balloons near Taiwan as part of a campaign of daily harassment, and currently has an aircraft carrier in the waters southeast of the island. Hegseth told reporters before he boarded his plane for Singapore that Washington's policies were meant to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. "We seek no conflict with anybody, including the Communist Chinese,' he said. "We will stay strong for our interests. And that's a big part of what this trip is all about.' China, which usually sends its defense minister to the Shangri-La forum, sent a much lower level delegation instead, represented by Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, the vice president of the People's Liberation Army National Defense University. The delegation was expected to speak Saturday on a panel on "cooperative maritime security' alongside representatives from Japan, Vietnam, Chile and the U.K. - notable in that China's aggressive global fisheries tactics have been a regular topic of concern not only in the Indo-Pacific but as far away as Latin America and the Arctic. Defense officials traveling with Hegseth, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media, called the absence of a higher-level Chinese delegation an opportunity for the U.S. to make inroads. "We can't account for whether China engages or not. All we know is that we're here. And we will be here,' Hegseth said as he met with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. Hegseth's trip to Singapore is his second to the region since becoming defense secretary, following a March visit to the Philippines, which has seen escalating confrontations with China over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. That trip, which also included a stop in Japan, brought a degree of relief over growing concerns from the Philippines and others in the region about U.S. support from a president who has taken more of a transactional approach to diplomacy and seems wary of foreign engagements. The US has been pursuing a "free and open Indo-Pacific' policy, which includes regularly sailing warships through the Taiwan Strait and in the South China Sea, which is claimed almost in its entirety by China. The European Union has adopted a more economics-driven approach, but several European nations have also regularly taken part in the freedom of navigation exercises, including France, which sent a carrier strike group on a five-month mission through the Indo-Pacific that concluded in April. In its published Indo-Pacific strategy, France has underscored the need to "preserve a rules-based international order' in the face of "China's increasing power and territorial claims' and its global competition with the United States. France's own ties to the Indo-Pacific are strong, with more than 1.6 million of its citizens living in the region in French overseas territories. Following a meeting Friday with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Macron told reporters there was room in the region for more than just the two superpowers. "We are neither China nor the U.S., we don't want to depend on any of them," he said. "We want to cooperate with both as far as we can, and we can cooperate for growth and prosperity and stability for our people and the world order, and I think this is exactly the same view of a lot of countries and a lot of people of this region.' Wong underscored Macron's point, saying that Singapore and the greater region were not looking for exclusive arrangements with any single power. "We want to embrace comprehensive engagement with all parties and embrace win-win arrangements rather than zero-sum competition,' he said. In his speech later, Macron is expected also to stress that the war in Ukraine is having a worldwide impact and that Russia seeks to destabilize Asia, the French president's office said. While democracies from the region, including Australia, South Korea and Japan, have been aiding Ukraine, China has been growingly supportive of Russia and North Korea has sent troops to fight for Moscow. The conference comes as civil war continues to rage in Myanmar, creating a massive humanitarian crisis that has only been compounded by the effects of a devastating earthquake that hit in March. It also follows the outbreak of violence this week on the Thai-Cambodian border, in which a Cambodian soldier was killed in a brief exchange of fire between the two sides. Thailand and Cambodia have a long history of land disputes, though Thailand said after the short skirmish that the situation had been resolved. Of greater concern, nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan came to the brink of war earlier this month in their most serious military confrontation in decades. The two armies exchanged gunfire, artillery strikes, missiles and drones that killed dozens of people before a truce was declared. -- Associated Press writer Sylvie Corbet in Paris contributed to this report.
Nikkei Asia
4 days ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Chinese defense minister to skip major Asian security summit
BEIJING (Reuters) -- China's defense minister, Dong Jun, will skip a major Asian security forum this weekend at which U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will make his debut, instead sending a lower-level academic delegation, the ministry said on Thursday. A delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defense University will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore from May 29 to June 2, spokesperson Senior Col. Zhang Xiaogang said at a press conference.
