US defense chief vows America will ensure China respects its position in Indo-Pacific

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth vowed Friday that the US will maintain the military strength needed to ensure China respects Washington's role in the Indo-Pacific, warning about Beijing's growing military capabilities.

Hegseth said countries in the region are increasingly concerned about China's military expansion.

"When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond. We share a clear-eyed assessment of that security environment," he said at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.

Pointing to the Trump administration's approach to relations with Beijing, he said, "Under President (Donald) Trump's leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they've been in many years. President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China."

"Make no mistake, America is a Pacific nation, and we insist that China respect our longstanding position in the region, and not just insist but maintain the manifest military strength to underwrite it," said Hegseth.

Outlining the US military strategy in the region, he said, "We will prioritize lethal capabilities, strategic discipline, and businesslike cooperation over empty rhetoric and peacocking."

"Any potential opponent will be forced to judge us by our hard power, collective readiness, and steadfast resolve," he added.

Hegseth said the US’ "approach in the Pacific centers on deterrence by denial along the first island chain" and pledged to strengthen defenses across the Western Pacific.

The defense chief also highlighted plans to expand US military production and spending.

"America is undergoing a historic national manufacturing mobilization of our defense industrial base. We will produce the best weaponry in the world at scale, at speed, and at a reasonable price," he said.

He added that Trump plans to increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion this year, up from $1 trillion last year, as part of what he described as a generational investment aimed at strengthening American military power.

On Iran, he said, "We still have global obligations to ensure that Iran doesn't get a nuclear weapon. We're focused on that."