The United States Defense Minister Pete Hegseth accused China on Saturday, May 31 of preparing “to use the military force” in Asia-Pacific, a region of which Washington is doing its “priority theater” in a context of tensions of tensions.
“The threat represented by China is real and could be imminent,” Shangri-La in Singapore, the largest security and defense forum in Asia, in a context of greater trade and geopolitical tensions between Washington and Beijing from Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
Pete Hegesh said that Beijing “wants to dominate and control” the region and “train every day” for a Taiwan invasion, with a multiplication of Chinese maneuvers around the island.
Beijing is preparing “clearly and credibly to use military force to modify the balance of forces” in Asia-Pacific, he uploaded to the US leader.
The “Priority Theater”
Pete Hegseth has also denounced the multiplication of incidents involving Chinese ships in the southern China Sea, accusing Beijing “of illegally confiscating and militarizing” the islands and islets claimed in particular by the Philippines.
The Shangri-La Dialogue forum brings together managers from all over Asia every year, as well as the rest of the world in the city-state of Singapore. For the first time since 2019, however, China has announced that it would not send a high -level manager.
For Washington, Asia-Pacific is the “priority theater” and the reorientation of the United States “(its strategy, editor’s note) to deter any assault by communist China.”
Therefore, the country has accentuated its cooperation with Japan and the Philippines, its traditional allies in the region, and proposed to strengthen its relations with India, he recalled.
“The United States is proud to return to the Indo-Pacific, and we are here to stay there,” Pete Hegseth hit.
But “the United States allies in Indo-Pacific can and should quickly increase their own defense,” he said, citing Europe as an example.
“It is a bit difficult to believe (…) that I can say that, but thanks to President Trump, our Asian allies and partners should be inspired by European countries, a new example” in this area, he said.
“Dysuasion is not cheap,” he said.
Customs battle
Several European countries, starting with Germany, have announced a drastic increase in their military budgets to bring them to 5% of their GDP compared to the threat of US President Donald Trump to disconnect from the defense of Europe through NATO.
The tensions between the United States and China have been avoided by the return to the power of Donald Trump, who notably inflicted the duties of records record in Beijing and technological restrictions.
This Friday, the US president once again accused Beijing of not respecting the terms of a negotiated relaxation agreement two weeks ago between the two gin countries.
“As expected, China has completely violated its agreement with us,” he denounced his social network of truth, without specifying what actions carried out by Beijing he directed. “He will want to want to be kind,” he added.
Emmanuel Macron wants to “build new alliances”
First European representative to celebrate the opening speech of the Shangri-La Dialogue, President Emmanuel Macron called this Friday to “build new alliances” with its Asian partners so as not to be “the collateral victims” of “decisions made by superimers.”
He also reminded the Chinese authorities of what he considers his role in international security.
“If China does not want NATO to get involved in Southeast Asia or Asia, it must prevent North Korea from getting involved in the European soil,” where it has deployed soldiers against Ukraine along with Russia, said the French leader. The forum, which is the 22nd edition, is celebrated until Sunday.
Source: BFM TV
