The United States and China have agreed to establish direct military-to-military communication channels, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Sunday, describing bilateral ties as “never better.”
Hegseth said he discussed the issue with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, late Saturday on the sidelines of a regional security meeting. The two officials agreed that “peace, stability and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries,” Hegseth noted in a post on X.
Earlier, Hegseth had urged Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their maritime forces to counter what he described as China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea.
“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea contradict their commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” he said at a meeting with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Saturday.
He added, “We seek peace. We do not seek conflict. But we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else.”
The South China Sea remains one of Asia’s most volatile flashpoints. China claims nearly the entire region, while ASEAN members including the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei also assert ownership of coastal areas and features. The Philippines, a key U.S. ally, has frequently clashed with China’s maritime fleet.
Manila has repeatedly called for a stronger regional response, but ASEAN has traditionally sought to balance caution with its economic ties to Beijing, the region’s largest trading partner.
Hegseth also said he spoke with President Donald Trump, and the two agreed that “the relationship between the U.S. and China has never been better.” Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea earlier this week, Hegseth added, “set the tone for lasting peace and success for the U.S. and China.”
Analysts said the contrasting messages — a firm warning at the ASEAN meeting and conciliatory remarks online — reflect Washington’s effort to balance deterrence with diplomacy amid rising tensions with Beijing.
“This is damage control. More importantly, it reflects two currents in U.S.-China relations — one viewing China as a threat and another as a potential partner,” said Southeast Asian political analyst Bridget Welsh.
At the ASEAN meeting, Hegseth criticized Beijing’s recent declaration of the Scarborough Shoal, seized from the Philippines in 2012, as a “nature reserve,” calling it “yet another attempt to coerce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.”
He urged ASEAN to finalize a long-delayed Code of Conduct with China to govern behavior in the sea and proposed shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation. A “shared maritime domain awareness” network, he said, would ensure that any member facing aggression “is not alone.”
Hegseth also welcomed an ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercise planned for December to strengthen regional coordination and uphold freedom of navigation.
China has rejected U.S. criticism, accusing Washington of interfering in regional affairs and provoking tensions through its military presence. Chinese officials maintain that their patrols and construction activities are lawful and aimed at securing what they consider Chinese territory.
On Saturday, Chinese officials criticized the Philippines for being a “troublemaker” after Manila conducted joint naval and air drills with the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand in the South China Sea. The two-day exercise, which ended Friday, was the 12th such operation the Philippines has carried out with partner nations since last year to protect its claims in the disputed waters.
Tian Junli, spokesperson of China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, said the drills “seriously undermined regional peace and stability” and accused the Philippines of being “a saboteur of regional stability.”
Source: AP