Hegseth plans “joint activities with allies against aggressive China”

During his visit to Malaysia, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth criticized China's actions in the South China Sea. He emphasized that neighboring countries were facing violations of their sovereignty and aggressive actions on the part of Beijing. At a meeting with representatives of the ASEAN countries, Hegseth proposed joint monitoring of the situation at sea and the sharing of equipment to enable a rapid and coordinated response to incidents in the region.

Following the recent joint military exercises between Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, and the US, China protested, describing the initiative as a threat to stability.

China has long claimed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea, with its claims overlapping with the territories of other states in the region. The Chinese coast guard operates in the disputed waters, where it regularly comes into conflict with the crews of neighboring states' ships.

At the same time, the US government has announced its intention to resume testing its nuclear capabilities, which, according to Hegseth, is intended to strengthen the deterrent power of the US.

(reuters, sie)