US tells China its Taiwan concerns
The United States conveyed to China its concerns over activities around Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea during talks between their defense chiefs in Malaysia on Friday, according to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth.
Emphasizing that the United States does “not seek conflict,” Hegseth said on X after meeting with his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, that the United States will “continue to stoutly defend its interests and ensure it has the capabilities in the region to do so.”
He also said, “I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and emphasized US concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and toward US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.”
Asean sidelines
Dong, for his part, warned that the United States should be cautious in its words and actions over Taiwan, according to the Chinese Defense Ministry, referring to the self-ruled democratic island that Beijing regards as its own territory.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) defense ministers’ meetings with the grouping’s dialogue partners. It followed talks between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday in South Korea.
Trump and Xi agreed in their meeting—their first in-person talks since 2019—on a one-year trade truce to ease tensions that had recently flared over Beijing’s new export curbs on rare earth minerals vital to high-tech manufacturing. Trump said he did not discuss Taiwan.
Hegseth said on X on Friday that the United States “will continue discussions with the People’s Liberation Army on matters of mutual importance.”
China has increased military pressure on Taiwan, seeking to bring the self-ruled democratic island under its control, by force if necessary. It also claims sovereignty over much of the South China Sea, leading to territorial disputes with smaller nations.
Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, along with its newest member, East Timor.
