Hegseth urges Asean unity against Beijing in South China Sea
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Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth attending the Asean Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 1.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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KUALA LUMPUR – Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called on South-east Asia to strengthen cooperation in maritime surveillance, including the use of unmanned technologies, to counter what he said was worsening aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea.
Speaking during a meeting in Malaysia with defence ministers from Asean on Nov 1 ,
“Shared examples of intimidation, harassment and illegal activities are occurring within your sovereign waters and across the South China Sea,” Mr Hegseth said. “We do not seek conflict, but we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else.”
The remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a landmark truce, under which Mr Trump dropped his threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Chinese goods and paused fees on Chinese-made ships docking at US ports, among other measures.
In Malaysia, Mr Hegseth had voiced serious concerns about Beijing’s naval activity around Taiwan and the South China Sea during a meeting on Oct 31 with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun.
On Nov 1, he went a step further, citing recent incidents including Chinese coast guard ships using water cannon and ramming Philippine vessels.
While the US Defence Secretary welcomed dialogue between Washington and Beijing, he also called China’s designation of the disputed Scarborough Shoal as a nature reserve “unjustifiable”.
Beijing has laid claim to nearly all of the resource-rich waterway, which is also critical to international trade, and claims that enforcement actions are taken against ships that encroach on its sovereignty.
While Mr Hegseth urged South-east Asia and China to continue their long-running negotiations to establish rules of behaviour in contested waters, he also said that “a code without the ability to back it up with action could just be empty words”.
He also pitched a joint initiative on unmanned systems, including aerial and undersea drones, to enhance surveillance at reduced cost and risk.
“No one can innovate and scale like the United States of America, and we’re eager to share those capabilities with allies and partners,” he said. BLOOMBERG
