If there was any doubt about Donald Trump's top military priorities in the Indo-Pacific, his defense chief's widely anticipated speech at this year's Shangri-La Dialogue made things crystal clear: deterring China and having allies commit to higher spending and burden-sharing are at the top of his list.
Warning on Saturday of an imminent and “real" threat by Beijing to alter the regional balance of power in Asia, particularly with an invasion of Taiwan, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on Washington’s regional allies and partners to ramp up military budgets — possibly to as high as 5% of gross domestic product.
“We cannot look away and we cannot ignore it. China's behavior toward its neighbors and the world is a wake up call and an urgent one,” Hegseth said before a packed house as defense chiefs, military brass and senior diplomats gathered in Singapore for Asia’s premier regional security conference.
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