Hegseth Urges Ambitious US-ASEAN Defense Pact as China Skips
Calling next year’s 50th anniversary of US-ASEAN ties an “important milestone,” Hegseth told the assembled ASEAN defense chiefs: “And in recognition of this milestone, we propose that we work together to develop a US-ASEAN framework for defense cooperation – a practical framework that guides our cooperation over the next several years.”
He described what he called “a critically important next several years,” in a joint meeting with the bloc’s defense chiefs in Cebu City, the Philippines, which currently chairs ASEAN.
Outlining Washington’s strategy, Hegseth said: “The approach we’re taking we describe as strong, quiet, and clear. Strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid needless escalation or public theatrics, and to let our actions speak for themselves,” Hegseth said, as his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, skipped this year’s ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus.
Beijing instead sent its military attache at the Chinese Embassy in Manila to represent China at the gathering.
Acknowledging differences among the participants, Hegseth told his ASEAN counterparts: “We’re not going to agree on everything, nor do we need to.”
“But an agreement on the fundamentals is enough to support practical cooperation where our shared interests are overlapping and are clear.”
Hegseth said the US will work with Singapore, which takes over the ASEAN chair next year, on the proposed defense cooperation framework, adding: “as we look to the future in this region, I’d like us to be even more ambitious.”
The Cebu City talks mark the 20th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting and the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus, which also draws the defense chiefs of China, South Korea, Japan, Australia and India. China did not send its defense minister this year.
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