Hegseth Meets 4 Allies in Cebu as China’s Defense Chief Skips
(MENAFN) US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held a string of four bilateral meetings with Indo-Pacific counterparts on the sidelines of a regional defense gathering in the Philippines, according to official statements. China’s defense minister was absent.
The talks took place in Cebu City, host of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting, which runs through Thursday. Defense chiefs from the 11-member bloc will also hold separate sessions with partner nations, including the US, India, South Korea, Australia and Japan.
Dong Jun, China’s defense minister, did not attend. The defense attache at China’s Embassy in Manila represented Beijing instead.
India: In his meeting with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the two men “took stock of progress on operational coordination, information sharing, and defense industrial cooperation,” the Pentagon said in a statement. They also “exchanged views on areas for further collaboration and committed to expanding the U.S.-India major defense partnership in support of shared interests across the region.”
Australia: Hegseth and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles reviewed ongoing efforts to deepen defense cooperation and strengthen the US-Australia alliance. According to the statement, they “agreed on the need to swiftly execute force posture collaboration, including investments at Australian air force bases and investments to enhance combined logistics capacity,” and “discussed opportunities to better coordinate on U.S. and Australian approaches to regional deterrence and support common-sense strategies to preserve a favorable balance of power in the Pacific.”
Japan: Meeting Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Hegseth “reaffirmed the indispensable role of the U.S.-Japan Alliance in preserving peace and stability in the Pacific,” the Pentagon said. The two also discussed “efforts to strengthen deterrence through enhanced bilateral access, presence, and realistic training and exercises across Japan, including live-fire exercises.”
South Korea: The Pentagon chief also sat down with South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul. In a post on the US-based social media platform X, Hegseth wrote that the US-South Korea alliance “is built on peace through strength-ready forces, decisive capability, and combined lethality that deters aggression,” adding: “America stands with allies that are serious about their own defense.”
The talks took place in Cebu City, host of the 13th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ meeting, which runs through Thursday. Defense chiefs from the 11-member bloc will also hold separate sessions with partner nations, including the US, India, South Korea, Australia and Japan.
Dong Jun, China’s defense minister, did not attend. The defense attache at China’s Embassy in Manila represented Beijing instead.
India: In his meeting with Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, the two men “took stock of progress on operational coordination, information sharing, and defense industrial cooperation,” the Pentagon said in a statement. They also “exchanged views on areas for further collaboration and committed to expanding the U.S.-India major defense partnership in support of shared interests across the region.”
Australia: Hegseth and Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles reviewed ongoing efforts to deepen defense cooperation and strengthen the US-Australia alliance. According to the statement, they “agreed on the need to swiftly execute force posture collaboration, including investments at Australian air force bases and investments to enhance combined logistics capacity,” and “discussed opportunities to better coordinate on U.S. and Australian approaches to regional deterrence and support common-sense strategies to preserve a favorable balance of power in the Pacific.”
Japan: Meeting Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, Hegseth “reaffirmed the indispensable role of the U.S.-Japan Alliance in preserving peace and stability in the Pacific,” the Pentagon said. The two also discussed “efforts to strengthen deterrence through enhanced bilateral access, presence, and realistic training and exercises across Japan, including live-fire exercises.”
South Korea: The Pentagon chief also sat down with South Korean Defense Minister Kang Shin-chul. In a post on the US-based social media platform X, Hegseth wrote that the US-South Korea alliance “is built on peace through strength-ready forces, decisive capability, and combined lethality that deters aggression,” adding: “America stands with allies that are serious about their own defense.”
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