Pete Hegseth calls on Asia to boost military spending in face of ‘imminent’ threat from China

Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, the US defence secretary outlined a range of new joint projects in the region

Helen Davidson in SingaporeFri 30 May 2025 22.40 EDTShare

The US secretary of defence has called on Asian countries to boost their military spending to increase regional deterrence against China, which was “rehearsing for the real deal” when it comes to taking over Taiwan.

Pete Hegseth, addressing the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, reiterated pledges to increase the US presence in the Indo-Pacific and outlined a range of new joint projects, including expanding access to military ship and plane repair, including in Australia.

“US allies in the Indo-Pacific can and should upgrade their own defences,” Hegseth said.

“It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific … There’s no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent.”

He said Donald Trump’s administration had pushed European countries to boost their defensive spending, taking on a greater “burden” of responding to conflicts in their region, and it was time for Asian nations to do the same.

Hegseth, who in March was revealed to have told a Signal group chat that Europe was “pathetic” and “freeloading” on US security support in the region, told the Singapore conference it was “hard to believe” he was now saying this, but Asian countries should “look to allies in Europe as a newfound example”.

“Deterrence doesn’t come on the cheap … time is of the essence.”

A new study by the organisation running the Singapore event, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, found that Asian spending on weapons and research is currently spiking, on top of what it said was a relatively consistent annual average spend of 1.5% of GDP.

Hegseth said the renewed European focus on their region – particularly the Russia-Ukraine war – allowed the US to shift focus to its “priority theatre” in the Indo-Pacific.