Following discussions with his Chinese counterpart, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Saturday that the United States and China intend to create military communication channels “to deconflict and deescalate” any possible issues.
Hegseth mentioned a “positive meeting” with Admiral Dong Jun, China’s Minister of National Defense, on X, subsequent to President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The two defense leaders concurred during their discussion that “peace, stability, and good relations” represent the optimal path forward for both the U.S. and China.
“Admiral Dong and I further agreed to establish military-to-military channels for deconfliction and de-escalation of potential issues. Additional meetings on this are upcoming. May God bless both China and the USA!” Hegseth stated, in part.
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Earlier on Saturday, Hegseth participated in a separate meeting in Malaysia with defense leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), where he encouraged them to resist Beijing’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.
According to The Associated Press, Hegseth stated at the meeting, “China’s broad territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea contradict their commitments to peacefully resolve disputes.”
He further stated, “We desire peace and avoid conflict. However, we must ensure China does not seek dominance over you or anyone else.”
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The South China Sea remains unstable, with overlapping territorial claims from Beijing, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Brunei.
China’s naval forces have frequently clashed with the Philippines in the contested waters, with Chinese officials recently labeling the country a “troublemaker” for conducting naval and air exercises with the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand.
During the Saturday meeting, Hegseth defended the U.S. ally by stating that Beijing’s designation of the Scarborough Shoal – a territory seized from the Philippines in 2012 – as a “nature reserve” is “another attempt to enforce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.”
The War Secretary then urged ASEAN to finalize the Code of Conduct with China and proposed developing a “shared maritime domain awareness” network and rapid-response systems to deter provocations – actions he affirmed would ensure that any member experiencing “aggression and provocation is not alone.”
Hegseth also welcomed planned ASEAN-U.S. maritime exercises in December to enhance coordination and safeguard freedom of navigation.
