U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday that Washington and Beijing would establish military-to-military communications channels, adding that bilateral ties between the countries have \u201cnever been better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hegseth said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, late Saturday on the sidelines of a regional security meeting and that they agreed that \u201cpeace, stability and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His remarks posted on X came hours after he urged Southeast Asian nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China\u2019s increasingly \u201cdestabilizing\u201d actions in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cChina\u2019s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea fly in the face of their commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,\u201d Hegseth said at a meeting with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe seek peace. We do not seek conflict. But we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The South China Sea remains one of Asia\u2019s most volatile flashpoints. Beijing claims almost the entire region, while ASEAN members the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim ownership of coastal areas and features. The Philippines, a key U.S. ally, has had frequent clashes with China\u2019s maritime fleet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manila has repeatedly urged a stronger regional response, but ASEAN has traditionally sought to balance caution with economic ties to Beijing, the region\u2019s largest trading partner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hegseth said on X he also spoke with President Donald Trump and they agreed \u201cthe relationship between the U.S. and China has never been better.\u201d Trump\u2019s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week \u201cset the tone for everlasting peace and success for the U.S. and China,\u201d added Hegseth, who left Malaysia on Sunday for Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The contrasting messages \u2014 a sharp warning at the ASEAN meeting followed by conciliatory language online \u2014 underscored Washington\u2019s effort to balance deterrence with diplomacy amid rising tensions with Beijing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is damage control. More importantly, it reflects two different currents in U.S. relations with China \u2014 one that sees China as a threat and another a possible partner,\u201d said Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his meeting on Saturday, Hegseth criticized Beijing\u2019s recent declaration of the Scarborough Shoal \u2014 seized from the Philippines in 2012 \u2014 as a \u201cnature reserve.\u201d He told the meeting it was \u201cyet another attempt to coerce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He urged ASEAN to hasten the conclusion of a long-delayed Code of Conduct being negotiated with China to govern behavior in the sea. He also proposed developing shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation. A \u201cshared maritime domain awareness\u201d network, he said, would ensure that any member facing \u201caggression and provocation is not alone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He also welcomed plans for an ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercise in December to strengthen regional coordination and uphold freedom of navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China rejects U.S. criticism of its maritime conduct, accusing Washington of interfering in regional affairs and provoking tensions through its military presence. Chinese officials say their patrols and construction activities are lawful and aimed at maintaining security in what they consider Chinese territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chinese officials Saturday slammed the Philippines for being a \u201ctroublemaker\u201d after Manila staged naval and air drills with the U.S., Australia and New Zealand in the South China Sea. The two-day exercise that ended Friday was the 12th that the Philippines says it has carried out with partner nations since last year to protect its rights in the disputed waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tian Junli, spokesperson of China\u2019s People\u2019s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said the exercise seriously undermined regional peace and stability. \u201cIt further proves that the Philippines is the troublemaker in the South China Sea issue and a saboteur of regional stability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Huizhong Wu in Bangkok and Jim Gomez in Manila contributed to this report.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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