Hegseth Announces U.S. Return to Balance-of-Power Approach Toward China in Indo-Pacific

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that Washington will prevent China from dominating the Indo-Pacific by strengthening its own military capabilities and deepening ties with regional allies, while using less confrontational language than in the past. Hegseth delivered the remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s annual defense and security forum, in Singapore.

He described the approach as an “America first, peace through strength” policy and said the goal is a stable equilibrium that prevents any single state, including China, from imposing hegemony. “Dialogue with China is not a sign of capitulating in either direction, but a practical guardrail to improve ties,” Hegseth said.

U.S. Intentions and lower the chance of conflict. U.S. policy toward Taiwan remains unchanged. He declined to answer questions about whether arms sales to the island are being delayed to improve relations with Beijing.

U.S. objective. ” “It’s our essential responsibility at the department to ensure that the president is always negotiating from a position of unquestionable strength in order to sustain peace here in the Pacific and around the globe,” Hegseth said.

He described the new posture as a return to Cold War-era balance-of-power thinking. Hegseth noted that this framework was set aside under President Ronald Reagan in favor of efforts to roll back and defeat the Soviet Union. com reporting.