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South China Morning Post
04-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
‘Strategic clarity' over Taiwan is just so much American bombast
People often make a situation worse because they are unhappy with the status quo. The United States is doing exactly that over Taiwan. In doing so, it is, as PLA Major General Hu Gangfeng said, destabilising the whole region. 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.
South China Morning Post
03-06-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Shangri-La Dialogue a place to ease tensions, not inflame China threat
The Shangri-La Dialogue, held annually in Singapore, has long provided a useful platform for discussion of Asia's security issues. Advertisement But the United States used the region's premier security conference last weekend to launch a provocative attack on China, a move that fanned flames, rather than easing concerns. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth accused China of wanting to 'fundamentally alter the region's status quo'. The threat, he said, was 'real' and 'could be imminent'. He referred to the South China Sea and Taiwan. Hegseth urged US partners and allies to join it in countering what he described as China's aggression. Beijing could not let the strongly worded allegations go unanswered. Hu Gangfeng, a People's Liberation Army major general, dismissed them as 'groundless'. Advertisement Hegseth's comments, Hu said, aimed to stir up trouble and incite confrontation, destabilising the region. China's defence and foreign ministries issued statements condemning the US accusations.
DW
02-06-2025
- Politics
- DW
Where are US and China heading after Shangri-La Dialogue? – DW – 06/02/2025
The cracks between the two superpowers, the US and China, seem to have widened during Asia's premier security forum. But while Washington is warning of the "threat" of China, Beijing is playing it close to the chest. The Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security forum held annually in Singapore, wrapped up this weekend with a clear message from the United States: the Indo-Pacific is a top priority for the Trump administration amid what it sees as China's aggressive posturing. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to step up their own defense in response to China's military build-up near Taiwan, a self-governing island Beijing claims as its own. Hegseth mentioned China more than 20 times in his first-ever speech at Shangri-La, and issued a more direct warning about any plans Beijing may have to take Taiwan. "Any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugarcoat it," Hegseth said on Saturday. "The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent," he said. "We hope not, but it certainly could be." Chinese Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, who is leading a delegation from the National Defense University of the People's Liberation Army, called the US remarks "groundless accusations." China's Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng fired back against the US claims Image: Edgar Su/REUTERS The next day, China's Foreign Ministry also issued a statement to protest against Hegseth's remarks, claiming that the US military presence in Asia-Pacific is "turning the region into a powder keg." China's defense minister stays away The usual plenary session where Beijing used to outline its Indo-Pacific strategy was canceled this year, and speculation over why Beijing chose not to send Defense Minister Dong Jun to Singapore lingered throughout the three-day summit. Zhou Bo, a senior fellow at the Tsinghua University's Center for International Security and Strategy, told DW on site that the minister was absent due to travel schedule arrangements and not for any strategic reason. But other analysts suggested that China may be trying to avoid tough questions on security issues. Another possible factor is that Washington was presenting its Indo-Pacific policy at a global stage for the first time in US President Donald Trump's second term. China threat set to dominate Singapore security talks To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video "It seems to me that China opted for a more cautious and defensive approach this time. It was waiting for the US to make a move," said Lin Ying-Yu, an assistant professor at the Graduate Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Taiwan's Tamkang University. "Once the US has made its statements, then [China] will respond accordingly," he added. As for clues about Beijing's possible countermeasures, Lin suggested waiting for the Beijing Xiangshan Forum, another international defense conference hosted annually by China in September or October. Lin also warned that "China might use military actions toward Taiwan as a way to send a message to the US, and that's something we should be watching out for." How might US-China relations change going forward? China, which now has the world's largest navy by number of warships, has reportedly stepped up its deployment of naval and coast guard vessels across East Asian waters since early May. Zhou, the Chinese military expert, told DW that the tone Hegseth used to address US-China competition shows an "almost 180 degrees change" compared to the Biden administration and "runs contrary to what his predecessors said." Hegseth issues Taiwan warning to Beijing To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Standing at the same podium last year, the former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin emphasized that war with China was neither imminent nor unavoidable, stressing the importance of renewed dialogue between the two countries in avoiding miscalculations. When asked at the venue about the future of China-US relations, Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Tsinghua University, said he expects day-to-day defense operations from both sides to "appear more confrontational," but without sudden escalation. France's Macron warns of global divide At the forum, French President Emmanuel Macron called out the apparent growing division between China and the US as the main risk currently facing the world. "The instruction given to all the others: you have to choose your side," Macron said at the opening day. "If we do so, we will kill the global order, and we will destroy methodically all the institutions we created after the Second World War," he added. In response to the concerns of the world splitting into two opposing camps, Zhou told DW: "Clearly we have not reached that level, which is a total hostile relationship between two enemies." "We are still away from that and hope we will always be away from that," he said. Tensions slowly rising around Taiwan While China seemed more cautious in the diplomatic arena, its actions in the Taiwan Strait seem to be growing more aggressive. Since Taiwan's current President William Lai took office over a year ago, the island's official data shows more frequent crossings by Chinese military aircraft over the Taiwan Strait's median line — the unofficial boundary between mainland China and Taiwan, despite Beijing officially considering all of Taiwan as Chinese territory. Taiwan also recorded an increased naval presence around its shores. In Singapore, US Defense Secretary Hegseth warned that China could be ready to invade Taiwan as early as 2027 — a statement that echoes previous assessment by US authorities. China has dismissed the 2027 timeline before but reiterated the goal of reaching reunification with Taiwan, whether by peaceful or non-peaceful means. Taiwan wants its own satellite internet — here's why To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Despite being one of the most contentious flashpoints in the world, Taiwan had little official representation at Asia's premier defense forum, Taiwanese media reported. The name "Taiwan" was also reportedly not shown on the guest list for the only two attendees from the island: I-Chung Lai, the CEO of a government-affiliated think tank, and former Defense Minister Andrew Nien-dzu Yang. Edited by: Darko Janjevic
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
China says US turning Asia-Pacific into 'powder keg' over Taiwan
The United States is undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and "turning it into a powder keg," a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Sunday in response to remarks by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The spokesman simultaneously warned the US not to interfere in China's conflict with Taiwan. "Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat,'" the spokesman said. Regarding Taiwan, the spokesman said the island's future was "entirely China's internal affair" and that no country was in a position to interfere. The US could not use the Taiwan question as leverage and "must never play with fire on this question," he said. Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore on Saturday, Hegseth said China was building the military it needed to invade Taiwan and was "training for it every day, and rehearsing for the real deal." The same day, Admiral Hu Gangfeng, head of the Chinese delegation to the conference, termed Hegseth's allegations unfounded, adding that "they aim to incite confrontation and destabilize the region." In his address, Hegseth called on Washington's Asian allies to spend more on defence, saying that deterrence had its price. Hegseth accused China of seeking hegemony in Asia and aiming to dominate and control the entire region. He said that the US did not seek conflict "with Communist China. We will not instigate nor seek to subjugate or humiliate," he said. But the US "will not be pushed out of this critical region, and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated," Hegseth said. Under President Xi Jinping, China has repeatedly warned it could use military force to seize Taiwan, which has been independent from Beijing for decades with its own democratically elected government. The annual Shangri-La Dialogue draws hundreds of government ministers, military officers and experts from all over the world. Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun did not attend at this year. Observers said this was deliberate to avoid a possible meeting with Hegseth.
ABC News
01-06-2025
- Business
- ABC News
China rejects US defence chief's 'groundless' warnings on Taiwan invasion threat
China has accused the US of making "groundless accusations" about developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China objected to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's comments that called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to spend more on defence after warning of China's "real and potentially imminent" threat. Earlier, Mr Hegseth warned at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China's army "is rehearsing for the real deal," to invade Taiwan. Hu Gangfeng, vice president of China's National Defence University, said the accusations were "nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division and stir up confrontation to destabilise the Asia-Pacific region." "Some of the claims are completely fabricated, some distort facts, and some are cases of a thief crying 'stop, thief'," he said. He did not offer specific objections. China views Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to "reunify" with the democratic and separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future. China has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games around Taiwan. When asked about Australia's defence spending, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed it would increase its investment. "We'll determine our defence policy, and we've just invested across the forwards an additional $10 billion on defence," he told the ABC. "What we'll do is continue to provide for investing in our capability, but also our relationships in the region." Defence Minister Richard Marles pointed out that while Australia was making its investments public, China was yet to explain the rationale behind its largest conventional military build-up since World War II. "It is not just the size of the [China's] military build-up, it is the fact that it is happening without strategic reassurance and without a clear strategic intent," he told the ABC, at the Shangri-La Dialogue. "We want to see strategic transparency and strategic reassurance be provided by China and an understanding of why it is needed to have such an extraordinary military build-up". Australia is currently on track to reach defence spending levels of 2.33 per cent of GDP by 2033-34, up from its current level of 2.02 per cent. But the Trump administration has pressured Australia's government to lift its spending to at least 3 per cent of GDP. Meanwhile, Mr Marles said on Sunday that nuclear-powered submarines being delivered under AUKUS were "on track". AUKUS is a trilateral security agreement between Australia, the US and the UK. The deal will see Australia end up with a total of eight new nuclear-powered submarines. "We are optimistic about how it is progressing," he said, adding that Australians working on the submarines were acquiring new skills. Mr Hegseth also called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to up spending, pointing to tensions in the South China Sea where China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands. As part of Washington's longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the US military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines. ABC/Wires
