United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth reassured Allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China.
He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what U.S. military leaders describe as rapidly developing threats by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. The CCP has conducted numerous exercises to assess a blockade of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend.
The People’s Liberation Army is “rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said in a keynote speech at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security forum in Singapore. “We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”
The CCP has a stated goal of ensuring its military can take Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027, a deadline that experts view as more of an aspirational goal than a hard deadline.
Speaking in May 2025 at the forum, Hegseth committed to bolstering the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific to provide a more robust deterrent. He also stressed the need for U.S. Allies and partners to increase defense spending and preparations.
“Ultimately, a strong, resolute and capable network of Allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,” Hegseth said. “China envies what we have together, and it sees what we can collectively bring to bear on defense, but it’s up to all of us to ensure that we live up to that potential by investing.”