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View all search resultsHegseth fails to reassure Asian allies at Shangri-La
Confrontational rhetoric combined with uncertain commitments raises fears of abandonment in Southeast Asia.
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Attendees outside the ballroom watch on a screen as United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivers an address at the Shangri-La Dialogue Summit in Singapore on May 31. (AFP/Mohd Rasfan)
O
nstage in Singapore on May 31 at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue defense forum, United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Indo-Pacific leaders that the US is “here to stay.”
He went on to articulate a vision of the US as an “Indo-Pacific nation” committed to reestablishing deterrence against China. But if the main goal of Hegseth’s address was to reassure Asian partners and allies questioning US security commitments to the region, then the administration fell short.
Hegseth’s confident rhetoric belied a more uneasy reality. His speech accelerated a mismatch between US promises to “pivot” to the Indo-Pacific and its consistent failure to deliver. Nowhere is this mismatch more evident than in Southeast Asia, where China continues to expand its influence.
The result is a widening gap between the US and its partners. Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen recently described the US as a “landlord seeking rent.” Others have been less blunt but equally clear.
During Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Kuala Lumpur in April, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said that “some nations abandon the principle of shared responsibility and others question long-standing commitments,” while “China’s global initiatives offer a new lease on hope.”
Regional leaders want a committed, stable Washington that can counterbalance China but not escalate tensions further. The vision that Hegseth presented, however, makes clear that this option is no longer on the table. US President Donald Trump is now calling Washington’s commitments into question at the same time that his administration is pushing regional allies to confront China more forcefully.
The more that the US overlooks Southeast Asian viewpoints and preferences, the more that it will see its influence and relevance in the Indo-Pacific wane as China’s waxes. Protecting US interests is vital, but making demands without offering more in return is counterproductive.
