U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Oct. 31 raised concerns about Chinese military activities around Taiwan and in the South China Sea during his first in-person meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun.
The meeting in Malaysia, where defense chiefs from Southeast Asia gathered for a summit, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.
“I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said on X on Thursday evening following talks with Dong.
The Pentagon chief said he “emphasized U.S. concerns about China’s activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and towards U.S. allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific.”…