Hegseth urges Asian leaders to boost military spending against China

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth waits to deliver his speech at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on Saturday. Anupam Nath/AP hide caption toggle caption Anupam Nath/AP SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on allies in Asia to ramp up military spending to counter China's "historic military buildup" but also did not mention Taiwan in his speech on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a key annual regional defense summit in Singapore. Hegseth's appearance comes just over two weeks after President Donald Trump held a summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing that both sides hailed as a success . Hegseth said U.S.-China relations are "better than they've been in many years" but that there is "rightful alarm" about China's military activities in the region and beyond. "A Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve," Hegseth said to a room full of military, defense officials and diplomats. This is the defense secretary's second appearance at the defense forum in Asia. Last year he said China "seeks to be a hegemonic power in Asia" that "hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region." He also notably struck a more defiant tone in criticizing Beijing's harassment on Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing claims as its own. "Every day you see it. China's military harasses Taiwan," he said in his 2025 speech . …