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US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to four Asian countries in the coming days, the Pentagon announced on Sunday. The tour marks his second visit to what Washington describes as a “priority” region, where the United States is urging allies to boost defence spending in response to China’s rise.
According to the Pentagon’s statement, Hegseth will visit Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam and South Korea. The announcement did not specify the exact dates or duration of each stop. Before heading to Asia, he will also meet with leaders of the US Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii.
Focus on the Indo-Pacific
President Donald Trump and other top US officials are currently in the region attending summits and bilateral talks, with the marquee event being a face-to-face meeting in South Korea between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Thursday.
Washington has long sought to deepen military partnerships across Asia to counterbalance China’s growing influence. However, conflicts in the Middle East and Europe have often diverted attention from the Indo-Pacific.
At the Shangri-La defence conference in Singapore in May, Hegseth cautioned that China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific". He also called on regional allies such as Japan and the Philippines, which have territorial disputes with China, to increase defence investment.
While Trump and Hegseth focus on Asia, the US military is simultaneously expanding its operations in Latin America as part of a campaign against drug trafficking.
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