Pentagon head Pete Hegseth accused China of aggression and disrespect for the sovereignty of countries in the East Sea, promising to support Southeast Asian countries with technology to jointly respond to threats from China. Reuters reports this.
The US secretary has held multilateral meetings with allies including Australia, Japan and the Philippines.
During the talks, Hegseth proposed to defense ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create a system of common maritime understanding to counter China.
“You are living amid the threats we all face from Chinese aggression and actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere,” he said.
Hegseth promised to provide technology to jointly respond to China's threats, noting that the United States is uniquely positioned to scale innovation. He assured that countries facing provocations “will by definition not be alone” in their confrontation with China.
The islands in the East Sea are the subject of territorial disputes between China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam. The most tense situation is around Scarborough Reef and the Spratly Islands, which are believed to be rich in oil and gas. The South China Sea handles about 40% of global trade traffic and transports up to 80% of China's oil and gas imports. Beijing believes that China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea.
China has deployed a large group of coast guard ships to disputed waters hundreds of kilometers from the mainland. These ships have repeatedly collided with Philippine ships and also hindered energy projects in Malaysia and Vietnam.
Beijing officials rejected accusations of aggressive behavior, insisting that their maritime patrols acted professionally. The Chinese government's statement emphasized that all activities are only aimed at protecting the country's territorial sovereignty against foreign intervention.
