U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday met his counterparts from the Philippines and Indonesia on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense summit as Washington seeks to boost regional security ties.
“We share concerns about China’s coercion in the South China Sea, particularly recently in the Scarborough Shoal,” he said during a joint statement with the Philippines’ Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro, adding that the U.S. does not “seek confrontation” but is ready to “protect our interests individually and mutually.”
Washington has a defense pact with the Philippines that involves dozens of annual military drills and the use of some of its bases, in addition to similar exercises with Thailand and Indonesia and exchanges with Malaysia.
The United States has sought to shore up its presence in Southeast Asia to counter China’s growing influence. Unresolved disputes have festered for years over the sovereignty of islands and features in the South China Sea.
