US defence secretary Hegseth chides Europe, hails ties with China & Asia allies

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth praised defence allies in Asia and hailed newly stable ties with China, while taking swipes at longstanding security partners in Europe.

The comments, made Saturday at an Asia security forum in Singapore, are the latest sign of the Trump administration shifting attention toward the Indo-Pacific while expressing antagonism toward Europe and the NATO alliance. Hegseth singled out allies such as South Korea, Japan and the Philippines for "stepping up" on defence while lambasting European nations that "threw open their borders and hollowed out their militaries."

'Interpersonal diplomacy'

He also highlighted the importance of the "interpersonal diplomacy" between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping after their meeting earlier this month in Beijing. Notably, he made no mention in his prepared remarks of Taiwan.

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"The default Asian lens on America has been clearer and far more pragmatic than in other regions," the US defence chief said at the Shangri-La Dialogue. "Our partners in Asia have long understood that the bedrock of a durable partnership is not based on idealistic values, but on the concrete alignment of national interest."

Taiwan is top among several friction points between the US and China, with American arms sales and diplomatic support for the island generating angry responses from Beijing. After Xi warned Trump during the Beijing meeting that mishandling the issue could lead to clashes, the US leader delayed approving a $14-billion weapons package to Taiwan, which is heavy on air defences.

Hegseth's failure to mention Taiwan in his address marked the first such omission by a Pentagon chief at the Singapore forum in at least a decade. His predecessor Lloyd J. Austin III name-checked the global chip hub once the year before, and five times in 2023, according to the official transcripts. Hegseth later told reporters the US position on Taiwan was unchanged, adding that the only possible shift was "how we talk about" the issue.

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Hegseth's framing of US-China ties-using the term "constructive strategic stability" that emerged from the Xi-Trump summit-also raised eyebrows.

China warns EU

Meanwhile, China warned it would "resolutely" retaliate if the European Union proceeds with new restrictive trade measures, following a May 29 European Commission discussion on China policy.

"Should the EU insist on unilaterally introducing new trade instruments and imposing discriminatory restrictions, China will resolutely take countermeasures and adopt effective measures to safeguard its own interests," the ministry of commerce said on Saturday.