Overview

• At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Beijing’s military is conducting daily rehearsals for a possible Taiwan invasion and poses a “real” and potentially imminent threat to regional stability.
• Hegseth urged Indo-Pacific allies to raise their defense spending to counter China’s growing capabilities, prompting Australia’s government to highlight a A$10 billion boost and a planned rise to around 2.3% of GDP within the next decade.
• China’s Foreign Ministry accused Hegseth of promoting a “Cold War mentality,” lodged a formal protest and warned Washington against using Taiwan as leverage against Beijing.
• China refrained from sending its defense minister, dispatched a low-level delegation instead and denounced US deployment of offensive weapons in the South China Sea.
• The confrontation follows a new US move to revoke visas for Chinese students and signals a deepening security partnership in the Indo-Pacific, including closer ties with the Philippines.