Latest news with #USGovernment
The Guardian
an hour ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Pete Hegseth calls on Asia to boost military spending in face of ‘imminent' threat from China
The US secretary of defence has called on Asian countries to boost their military spending to increase regional deterrence against China, which was 'rehearsing for the real deal' when it comes to taking over Taiwan. Pete Hegseth, addressing the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, reiterated pledges to increase the US presence in the Indo-Pacific and outlined a range of new joint projects, including expanding access to military ship and plane repair, including in Australia. 'US allies in the Indo-Pacific can and should upgrade their own defences,' Hegseth said. 'It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific … There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent.' He said Donald Trump's administration had pushed European countries to boost their defensive spending, taking on a greater 'burden' of responding to conflicts in their region, and it was time for Asian nations to do the same. Hegseth, who in March was revealed to have told a Signal group chat that Europe was 'pathetic' and 'freeloading' on US security support in the region, told the Singapore conference it was 'hard to believe' he was now saying this, but Asian countries should 'look to allies in Europe as a newfound example'. 'Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap … time is of the essence.' He said the renewed European focus on their region – particularly the Russia-Ukraine war – allowed the US to shift focus to its 'priority theatre' in the Indo-Pacific. Hegseth said the US did not seek to 'pressure' Asian countries to 'embrace or adopt policies or ideologies', but instead wanted to 'work with you where our shared interests align for peace and prosperity'. 'We're not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues,' he said. 'But a threat gathers. 'We do not seek conflict with Communist China. We will not seek to instigate, subjugate or humiliate China. President Trump and US have an immense respect for China and their civilisation. But we will not be pushed out of this critical region.' In his speech Hegseth also took a swipe at the absence of any senior Chinese delegate at this year's conference. 'We are here this morning and, notably, someone else isn't,' he said. Hegseth also appeared to reference comments by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the conference on Friday that a 'sense that [the US's] promise might not be so ironclad is ushering in a new instability'. 'An alliance cannot be ironclad if in reality or perception it is one-sided,' Hegseth said on Saturday. 'As allies share the burden we can increase our focus on the Indo-Pacific, our priority theatre.' He said the US would conduct its 'first-ever live-fire test of its mid-range capability system in Australia' in coming months, and had expanded cooperations and joint exercises. It would also establish repair capability and capacity programs in the region, including for P-8 radar systems in Australia for the US and its allies, while expanding contracts for regional ship repair. Hegseth's speech reiterated much of the Trump administration's defence and security position – blaming the previous administration for problems, pledging to strengthen the US military and secure the US border against unregulated immigration, while repeating plans to 'take back the Panama canal'. He said Trump was spending $1tn – a 13% increase – on defence next year, citing advance weapons plans including the controversial Golden Dome. Speaking in Singapore after Hegseth's address, US Democratic senator Tammy Duckworth told reporters that his comments about the US remaining in the Indo-Pacific region were welcome but he found his words 'patronising of our friends in the Indo-Pacific in particular'. 'I've gotta say his idea that we're going to wrap ourselves around you – we don't need that kind of language. We just need to stand together,' Duckworth said. 'The US is not asking people to choose between the US and [China] … But we will make sure international norms are maintained and ask our friends to help us uphold them.'
Wall Street Journal
2 hours ago
- General
- Wall Street Journal
Hegseth Pledges U.S. Support to Taiwan in Case of Chinese Aggression
SINGAPORE—Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed that the U.S. would come to the defense of Taiwan should China seek to 'conquer' the island, in a speech that appeared aimed at easing concerns in Asia over the U.S. commitment to its allies in the region. In what was his most assertive statement to date on Taiwan, Hegseth issued a stark warning that threats to the island from China 'could be imminent.'
Malay Mail
2 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
Don't kneecap us: Google opposes Chrome break-up in antitrust fight
NEW YORK, May 31 — Google yesterday urged a US judge to reject the notion of making it spin off its Chrome browser to weaken its dominance in online search. Rival attorneys made their final arguments before US District Court Judge Amit Mehta, who is considering imposing 'remedies' after a landmark decision last year that Google maintained an illegal monopoly in search. US government attorneys have called on Mehta to order Google to divest itself of Chrome browser, contending that artificial intelligence is poised to ramp up the tech giant's dominance as the go-to window into the internet. They also want Google barred from agreements with partners such as Apple and Samsung to distribute its search tools, which was the focus of the suit against the Silicon Valley internet giant. Three weeks of testimony ended early in May, with Friday devoted to rival sides parsing points of law and making their arguments before Mehta in a courtroom in Washington. John Schmidtlein, an attorney for Google, told Mehta that there was no evidence presented showing people would have opted for a different search engine without the exclusivity deals in place. Schmidtlein noted that Verizon installed Chrome on smartphones even though the US telecom titan owned Yahoo! search engine and was not bound by a contract with Google. Of the 100 or so witnesses heard at trial, not one said 'if I had more flexibility, I would have installed Bing' search engine from Microsoft, the Google attorney told the judge. 'More flexibility' Department of Justice (DoJ) attorney David Dahlquist countered that Apple, which was paid billions of dollars to make Chrome the default browser on iPhones, 'repeatedly asked for more flexibility' but was denied by Google. Google contends that the United States has gone way beyond the scope of the suit by recommending a spinoff of Chrome, and holding open the option to force a sale of its Android mobile operating system. 'Forcing the sale of Chrome or banning default agreements wouldn't foster competition,' said Cato Institute senior fellow in technology policy Jennifer Huddleston. 'It would hobble innovation, hurt smaller players, and leave users with worse products.' Google attorney Schmidtlein noted that more than 80 percent of Chrome users are outside the United States, meaning divestiture would have global ramifications. 'Any divested Chrome would be a shadow of the current Chrome,' he contended. 'And once we are in that world, I don't see how you can say anybody is better off.' The potential of Chrome being weakened or spun off comes as rivals such as Microsoft, ChatGPT and Perplexity put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work fetching information from the internet in response to user queries. The online search antitrust suit was filed against Google some five years ago, before ChatGPT made its debut, triggering AI fervor. Google is among the tech companies investing heavily to be a leader in AI, and is weaving the technology into search and other online offerings. Kneecap Google? Testimony at trial included Apple vice president of services Eddy Cue revealing that Google's search traffic on Apple devices declined in April for the first time in over two decades. Cue testified that Google was losing ground to AI alternatives like ChatGPT and Perplexity. Mehta pressed rival attorneys regarding the potential for Google to share data as proposed by the DoJ in its recommended remedies. 'We're not looking to kneecap Google,' DoJ attorney Adam Severt told the judge. 'But, we are looking to make sure someone can compete with Google.' Schmidtlein contended that data Google is being asked to share contains more than just information about people's online searches, saying it would be tantamount to handing over the fruit of investments made over the course of decades. 'There are countless algorithms that Google engineers have invented that have nothing to do with click and query data,' Schmidtlein said. 'Their remedy says we want to be on par with all of your ingenuity, and, respectfully your honor, that is not proportional to the conduct of this case.' — AFP
The National
6 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Trump says he used trade as leverage to prevent possible nuclear war between India and Pakistan
President Donald Trump on Friday said he had helped India and Pakistan avert a potential nuclear war by using trade with the US as leverage to push for a ceasefire. The South Asian neighbours exchanged artillery, plane and drone strikes this month after gunmen killed 26 people in April in the Himalayan tourist spot of Pahalgam in the Kashmir valley. India accused Pakistan of backing the attack, which Islamabad has denied. 'We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting, I believe that could have turned out into a nuclear disaster,' Mr Trump said in the Oval Office on Friday. 'We dropped trade, and we said we can't trade with people that are shooting at each other and potentially using nuclear weapons. … They're great leaders in those countries, and they understood, and they agreed, and that all stopped.' Mr Trump infuriated New Delhi this month when he announced the US had 'mediated' a ceasefire. Not only did his announcement pre-empt India making a statement, New Delhi has long maintained that any issues with Pakistan, including over the disputed Kashmir region, can only be addressed bilaterally and without the intervention of a third country. India has insisted the recent cessation of hostilities with Pakistan was decided through direct contacts between the two countries' armies. During an Indian Ministry of External Affairs news conference on Thursday, a spokesman said trade discussions never came up in ceasefire talks. 'The issue of trade or tariff did not come up in any of those discussions,' said Randhir Jaiswal. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif welcomed Mr Trump's mediation and his 'very pivotal and paramount role' in ending the crisis. According to US figures, trade between America and India totalled about $129.2 billion last year, compared to $7.3 billion between the US and Pakistan.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Aims to Boost Taiwan Arms Sales Further, Reuters Says
(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump is planning to ramp up weapons sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding the pace set during his first term, Reuters reported, a move that risks escalating military tensions with China at a time the two nations are already locked in difficult talks over tariffs. NYC Congestion Toll Brings In $216 Million in First Four Months Now With Colorful Blocks, Tirana's Pyramid Represents a Changing Albania The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move NY Wins Order Against US Funding Freeze in Congestion Fight Why Arid Cities Should Stick Together Two US officials familiar with the matter said they expect US approvals for arms sales to Taipei over the next four years to surpass those in Trump's first term, according to a Reuters report Friday. New weapons packages are expected to focus on missiles, munitions and drones. Trump's first term was marked by 22 military sales notifications for Taiwan valued at $18.65 billion, including backlogged cases and funding for maintenance of existing systems, compared to about $8.7 billion during the Biden administration, according to a 2024 report from the Cato Institute. Washington's move could inflame tensions with Beijing just as bilateral frustration is flaring up again over trade, student visas and access to technology. Beijing considers democratically governed Taiwan to be its territory. Taiwan Foreign Ministry spokesman Hsiao Kuang-wei declined to comment on the report but said the government has 'repeatedly underscored Taiwan's determination to strengthen its self-defense capabilities.' Taipei would 'also continue to work closely with the US to strengthen regional deterrence and ensure peace, stability, and prosperity in the region,' he said. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said his nation opposes US weapons sales to Taiwan and they should cease. Washington should 'stop creating new factors that could lead to tensions in the Taiwan Strait,' he added at the regular press briefing in Beijing on Friday. The White House and the State Department didn't immediately reply to a request for comment made outside working hours in the US. The news comes as US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visits Singapore for an annual defense forum where he's set to rally allies and partners to counter China. Beijing is sending a lower-level delegation to the Shangri-La Dialogue, avoiding a potential encounter with Hegseth. US-China relations had been on the mend since both sides reached a temporary trade truce in Geneva earlier this month. But that began to change in recent days, with the US announcing it would start revoking some Chinese student visas. Washington has also introduced new restrictions on the sales of chip design software and reportedly some jet engine parts to China. That came shortly after it sought to block Huawei Technologies Co. from selling advanced AI chips anywhere in the world, prompting an angry rebuke from Beijing. Read: Taiwan Says US Trade-Deal Push Still On Despite Court Ruling US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who helped reach the truce with Beijing officials, said Thursday that trade talks with China are 'a bit stalled' and could benefit from a direct call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Any arms sales from the US to Taiwan would prompt an outcry from China. In 2019, Beijing protested against the Trump administration's tacit approval for Taiwan to buy dozens of F-16 fighter jets. --With assistance from Jordan Fabian, Derek Wallbank, Colum Murphy and Yian Lee. (Updates with comment from Taiwan's Foreign Ministry.) YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back? Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Inside the First Stargate AI Data Center How Coach Handbags Became a Gen Z Status Symbol ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Sign in to access your portfolio
