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To China, Hegseth’s Philippines Trip Was an Escalation – The Diplomat

thediplomat.com · 3,463 words · saved by 1 readers

Beijing views deepening Philippines-U.S. military cooperation as a direct security challenge, not only in the South China Sea but also in the Taiwan Strait. U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth holds a joint press briefing with Filipino Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro at Camp Aguinaldo, Philippines, Mar. 28, 2025. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s late March visit to Manila – his first since assuming office – has elicited firm opposition from China, leading Beijing to express strong diplomatic and military concerns. Despite Hegseth’s assurances during his Asia-Pacific tour – which also took him to Guam and Japan – that the United States “does not seek war, but peace” and his stated goal of bolstering alliances toward a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, China is unconvinced. China’s Ministry of National Defense explicitly characterized increased Philippine-U.S. military cooperation as “aggravating regional tensions,” warning that China would take necess

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