What Hegseth’s comments at Shangri-La Dialogue say about US foreign policy

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has been discussing key foreign policy issues for Washington at a defence summit in Singapore.

On Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Hegseth commented on America’s main rival, China, as well as Iran, NATO and Taiwan — a major point of contention between Washington and Beijing.
The US and Israel launched their war on Iran in late February, rattling global markets, triggering an energy crisis and causing shortages of critical US munitions, including Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors, which cost about $12m each.

In a report published on Wednesday, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said it would take two years — and in some cases more than three — to replenish four critical munitions used heavily during the war.

Here are Hegseth’s most important comments.

China’s ‘historic military buildup’
Beijing is widely seen as Washington’s greatest geopolitical challenge, and Hegseth expressed alarm about China’s growing military presence in the Asia Pacific.

“There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said.

Washington’s latest National Defense Strategy describes China as the world’s second-most powerful country after the US.

Hegseth used his speech to call on US allies in the region to increase defence spending in an attempt to offset China’s growing power.

The defence secretary, who said relations with Beijing were “better” than they had been in many years, warned that unless action was taken, China would become the regional hegemon.