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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said connected Sunday (November 2, 2025) that Washington and Beijing would found military-to-military communications channels, adding that bilateral ties betwixt the countries person “never been better.”
Mr. Hegseth said helium spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, precocious connected Saturday (November 1) connected the sidelines of a regional information meeting and that they agreed that “peace, stableness and bully relations are the champion way for our 2 large and beardown countries.”
His remarks posted connected X came hours aft helium urged Southeast Asian nations to basal steadfast and fortify their maritime forces to antagonistic China’s progressively “destabilising” actions successful the South China Sea.
“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims successful the South China Sea alert successful the look of their commitments to resoluteness disputes peacefully,” Mr. Hegseth said astatine a gathering with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations connected Saturday (November 1).
“We question peace. We bash not question conflict. But we indispensable guarantee that China is not seeking to predominate you oregon anybody else,” helium added.
The South China Sea remains 1 of Asia’s astir volatile flashpoints. Beijing claims astir the full region, portion ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei besides assertion ownership of coastal areas and features. The Philippines, a cardinal U.S. ally, has had predominant clashes with China’s maritime fleet.
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Manila has repeatedly urged a stronger determination response, but ASEAN has traditionally sought to equilibrium caution with economical ties to Beijing, the region’s largest trading partner.
Mr. Hegseth said connected X helium besides spoke with President Donald Trump and they agreed “the narration betwixt the U.S. and China has ne'er been better.” Trump’s gathering with Chinese person Xi Jinping successful South Korea earlier this week “set the code for everlasting bid and occurrence for the U.S. and China,” added Mr. Hegseth, who near Malaysia connected Sunday (November 2) for Vietnam.
The contrasting messages — a crisp informing astatine the ASEAN gathering followed by conciliatory connection online — underscored Washington’s effort to equilibrium deterrence with diplomacy amid rising tensions with Beijing.
“This is harm control. More importantly, it reflects 2 antithetic currents successful U.S. relations with China — 1 that sees China arsenic a menace and different a imaginable partner,” said Southeast Asian governmental expert Bridget Welsh.
In his gathering connected Saturday (November 1), Mr. Hegseth criticised Beijing’s caller declaration of the Scarborough Shoal — seized from the Philippines successful 2012 — arsenic a “nature reserve.” He told the gathering it was “yet different effort to coerce caller and expanded territorial and maritime claims astatine your expense.”
He urged ASEAN to hasten the decision of a long-delayed Code of Conduct being negotiated with China to govern behaviour successful the sea. He besides projected processing shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation. A “shared maritime domain awareness” network, helium said, would guarantee that immoderate subordinate facing “aggression and provocation is not alone.”
He besides welcomed plans for an ASEAN-U.S. maritime workout successful December to fortify determination coordination and uphold state of navigation.
China rejects U.S. disapproval of its maritime conduct, accusing Washington of interfering successful determination affairs and provoking tensions done its subject presence. Chinese officials accidental their patrols and operation activities are lawful and aimed astatine maintaining information successful what they see Chinese territory.
Chinese officials connected Saturday (November 1) slammed the Philippines for being a “troublemaker” aft Manila staged naval and aerial drills with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand successful the South China Sea. The two-day workout that ended connected Friday (October 31) was the 12th that the Philippines says it has carried retired with spouse nations since past twelvemonth to support its rights successful the disputed waters.
Tian Junli, spokesperson of China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said the workout earnestly undermined determination bid and stability. “It further proves that the Philippines is the troublemaker successful the South China Sea contented and a saboteur of determination stability,” helium said.
