US reaffirms commitment to counter China's 'largest military buildup' at ASEAN defense summit

The United States reaffirmed its commitment to deterring aggressive behavior in the region, with China squarely in its sights, at the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus held in Cebu, the Philippines, from Wednesday to Thursday (local time).

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth used the occasion to convene a meeting of the Squad — an informal security grouping of the United States, Japan, Australia and the Philippines — on the sidelines of the ADMM-Plus, where he underscored Washington's position, according to the Associated Press and other outlets.

"The approach we take is strong, quiet and clear," Hegseth said at the meeting. "Strong enough to deter coercion and aggression, quiet enough to avoid unnecessary escalation or external posturing — meaning our actions speak for themselves."

Without naming China directly, Hegseth pledged that the United States would build robust deterrence against China in the region, addressing ally the Philippines, which is locked in a territorial dispute with Beijing over the South China Sea.

At a separate meeting with ASEAN defense ministers on Thursday, Hegseth proposed establishing a US-ASEAN defense cooperation framework and called for deeper naval cooperation among countries in the South China Sea and other regional waters. In bilateral talks with defense ministers from Asian allies including South Korea, Japan and Australia, also held Thursday, Hegseth stressed the need for expanded defense investment.

Concern over China's military expansion in the Pacific was not limited to the United States and the Philippines. Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles, who attended the Squad meeting, said the world is witnessing "the largest conventional military buildup since World War II, and it's being done by China." Marles added that China "offers no explanation for why it's doing this, and all of this is creating a pressured environment."

Marles said China "appears to be seeking to reshape the world around it in its own interests and to exercise influence in the region," and described Beijing's assertive posture as a challenge for Australia.

At the ADMM-Plus meeting, ASEAN defense ministers agreed on five areas to strengthen regional cooperation, including exchanges of young military officers between member states, measures to enhance readiness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats, and plans to hold a maritime conference with India next year.

Meanwhile, China sent only its defense attaché at the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines to the meeting — notably not its defense minister. Beijing claimed the host country, the Philippines, had obstructed its participation.

Chinese Defense Ministry spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang said at a press briefing that day that "the Philippine side allowed some politicians to act recklessly and use their public office for private purposes, and erected multiple obstacles to block China's participation in the ADMM-Plus." Zhang added that the move "seriously undermined ASEAN's principle of consensus and gravely violated the spirit of openness and inclusiveness" of the forum.

Philippine Defense Minister Gilberto Teodoro, whose country holds the meeting's chairmanship, said in response that Manila had sent China an invitation to participate and that Beijing had been given ample opportunity to present its position.