US, China to set up military communication channels
KUALA LUMPUR—Washington and Beijing would establish military-to-military communication channels, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday, adding that bilateral ties between the countries have “never been better.”
Hegseth said he spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Adm. Dong Jun, late Saturday, and they agreed that “peace, stability and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries.”
His remarks posted on X came hours after he urged member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea.
“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea fly in the face of their commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” Hegseth said at a meeting with his Asean counterparts that Saturday.
“We seek peace. We do not seek conflict. But we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else,” he added.
Asean caution
The South China Sea remains one of Asia’s most volatile flashpoints. Beijing claims almost the entire region, while Asean members Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and the Philippines, a key US ally, also claim ownership of coastal areas and features.
Philippine ships often deployed by its Coast Guard had been frequently harassed by China’s maritime fleet.
Manila has repeatedly urged a stronger regional response. But Asean, despite first raising the need for a code of conduct more than 30 years ago in 1992, has traditionally sought to balance caution with economic ties to Beijing, the region’s largest trading partner.
Despite his frank words against Beijing, Hegseth said on X he also spoke with President Donald Trump and they agreed “the relationship between the US and China has never been better.”
Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week “set the tone for everlasting peace and success for the US and China,” added Hegseth, who left Malaysia on Sunday for Vietnam.
‘Threat and partner’
The contrasting messages—a sharp warning at the Asean meeting followed by conciliatory language online—underscored Washington’s effort to balance deterrence with diplomacy amid rising tensions with Beijing.
“This is damage control. More importantly, it reflects two different currents in US relations with China—one that sees China as a threat and another a possible partner,” said Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh.
Hegseth on Saturday also criticized Beijing’s recent declaration of Scarborough Shoal—seized from the Philippines in 2012—as a “nature reserve.”
He told the meeting with his Asean counterparts it was “yet another attempt to coerce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.”
Shared maritime surveillance
He urged Asean to hasten the conclusion of the long-delayed code of conduct, and also proposed developing shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation.
A “shared maritime domain awareness” network, he said, would ensure that any member facing “aggression and provocation is not alone.”
He also welcomed plans for an Asean-US maritime exercise in December to strengthen regional coordination and uphold freedom of navigation.
China: PH ‘a saboteur’
China rejected US criticism of its maritime conduct, accusing Washington of interfering in regional affairs and provoking tensions through its military presence.
Chinese officials said their patrols and construction activities are lawful and aimed at maintaining security in what they consider Chinese territory.
They criticized the Philippines on Saturday for being a “troublemaker” after Manila staged naval and air drills with the United States, Australia and New Zealand in the South China Sea.
The two-day exercise which ended on Friday was the 12th since last year that the Philippines carried out with the said partner nations, saying it was asserting its rights in the disputed waters.
Tian Junli, spokesperson for China’s People’s Liberation Army-Southern Theater Command, said the exercise seriously undermined regional peace and stability.
“It further proves that the Philippines is the troublemaker in the South China Sea issue and a saboteur of regional stability,” he said.
