‘Strategic clarity' over Taiwan is just so much American bombast
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made headline news at the Shangri-La Dialogue for regional security in Singapore last week by warning of 'devastating consequences' if China tried to 'conquer' Taiwan.
He said America stood shoulder to shoulder with its allies and partners in the region, and that no one should doubt its commitment. Really?
But as a caveat, he said countries in Southeast Asia needed to boost defence spending, possibly to 5 per cent of GDP. That immediately invited ridicule from some conference participants.
Mohd Faiz Abdullah, chairman of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies in Malaysia and a senior adviser to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, called it 'mind-boggling' and 'nonsensical' to expect countries in the region to drum up 5 per cent of their GDP in military acquisitions, presumably from US arms manufacturers. It would make more sense, he suggested, for Washington to dispense with its highly destructive tariffs and deepen economic engagement with the region instead. Indeed!
In one breath, Hegseth said the US would support them against Chinese aggression while asking them to ramp up military spending and contribute to the fight. But Asean is not Nato. Most of its member states are not even American military allies. The Philippines is an exception. Asean wants to engage with China, not fight it, especially over Taiwan. The island is not to East Asia what Ukraine is to the European Union or Nato. It's not even their fight.
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