Club Briefing: At the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a series of hard-line remarks targeting China, leveling multi-faceted accusations against Beijing and openly urging Asian allies to sharply increase defense spending to counter the so-called “China threat.” His comments immediately sparked global debate and were swiftly rebutted by the Chinese military delegation and the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
In a 11 June piece for the South China Morning Post, Zhou Bo, senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy, analyzed why Southeast Asian states reject Hegseth’s rhetoric. He examined key issues such as Asia-Pacific security, the Taiwan Strait, and great-power competition, and illuminated the strategies regional countries employ to seek balance and stability within an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.