The Voice News: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to Singapore to strengthen alliances and urge Asian partners to increase their defense spending amid growing concerns about China’s military expansion.
Speaking at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit on Saturday, May 31, 2025, Hegseth issued a blunt warning about the threat China poses to the region. “There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” he said. He emphasized that any Chinese military action against Taiwan would have “devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.”
Addressing a packed room of diplomats, military officials, and business leaders, Hegseth delivered the most direct remarks from a Trump administration official regarding China’s growing power in Asia. His speech followed President Donald Trump’s recent address in Saudi Arabia, where Trump outlined plans to reduce the American military footprint abroad and encouraged allies to take greater responsibility for their own security.
Vice President JD Vance also recently echoed this approach, promoting a U.S. policy focused on mutually beneficial economic and military partnerships rather than spreading democracy overseas.
While pledging continued American support, Hegseth stressed that regional allies need to boost their defense budgets. He pointed out that the U.S. is increasingly prioritizing its southern border with Mexico, shifting troops and resources there rather than deploying them overseas. “Credible deterrence starts at home. It starts at our borders,” Hegseth said. “We have put troops on the Southwest border and are driving towards 100 percent operational control there.”
This trip to Singapore was Hegseth’s second to the region since taking office in January. It came after a visit to NATO headquarters in Europe, where he criticized allies for underfunding their militaries—a message he carried with him to Asia.
“Thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to European countries as an example,” Hegseth remarked. The Trump administration has raised NATO’s defense spending target from 2 percent to 5 percent of GDP, a challenging goal even for the U.S., which currently spends about 3.5 percent.
Hegseth was clear in his demands: “We ask, and indeed insist, that our allies and partners do their part on defense. Sometimes that means having uncomfortable and tough conversations.”
He also criticized the discrepancy in spending, saying, “It doesn’t make sense for European countries to increase defense budgets while key allies in Asia spend less in the face of an even more formidable threat, including North Korea.”
His remarks may stir some tension, considering that countries like Australia are investing billions in a trilateral partnership with the U.S. and U.K. to build nuclear-powered submarines, while Japan and South Korea have significantly expanded their military capabilities. South Korea has even become a major defense exporter, supplying artillery and air defense systems to Europe.
Hegseth also suggested that European nations should focus more on securing their own territories, allowing the U.S. to concentrate its efforts in the Indo-Pacific. “We’re encouraging our European allies to take greater ownership of their security — to invest in their own defense,” he said. “Thanks to President Trump, they are stepping up.”