US Ready To Share Tools To Help Allies Counter 'Aggressive' China: Pentagon Chief

Last Updated:November 01, 2025, 23:50 IST

US Defense Secretary urged Southeast Asian nations to stand strong against China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth (Photo: Reuters)

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Southeast Asian nations to stand strong against China’s increasingly “destabilising" actions in the South China Sea. He asked the nations to strengthen their maritime forces to counter threats and also ensured to share tools with “allies and partners."

The Pentagon chief was speaking at a meeting in Malaysia with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He cited incidents like the ramming of vessels and the use of water cannons and expressed US’ concerns over Chinese aggression in the disputed waters.

“You live it on the threats we all face from China’s aggression and course of actions in the South China Sea and elsewhere," Hegseth was quoted as saying by Reuters.

“We need to develop our joint capabilities to respond, and this includes being able to monitor maritime conduct and develop the tools that allow us to respond quickly… ensuring that whoever is on the receiving end of aggression and provocation is then, therefore, by definition, not alone."

“No one can innovate and scale like the United States of America, and we’re eager to share those capabilities with allies and partners," Hegseth added.

He proposed the development of a “shared maritime domain awareness" that will alert all members if one nation is threatened. “That goes a long way in ensuring that whoever is on the receiving end of aggression and provocation is… not alone," he said.

He also welcomed plans for an ASEAN-US maritime exercise in December that he said would increase interoperability and reinforce freedom of navigation and the sovereign rights of all nations.

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