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Alcott Wei

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, in person for the first time on Friday, with both sides stressing a commitment to peace.
The discussion took place on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus in Malaysia and came a day after a US-China summit eased tensions between the two countries.
Dong and Hegseth held a conference call in September but the talks on Friday were the first face-to-face meeting between the defence ministers of China and the United States since Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
In a social media post, Hegseth described his talks with Dong in Kuala Lumpur as “a good and constructive meeting”.
Echoing statements he made during the call with Dong in September, Hegseth said the US did not seek conflict.
Hegseth also said: “We will continue discussions with the People’s Liberation Army on matters of mutual importance.”


Dong said China was committed to peaceful development while resolutely safeguarding its national security interests. He also said China could respond to any infringements or provocations with ease.
“We hope the US will take concrete action to support its statements of not containing China and not seeking conflict,” Dong said, according to a Chinese defence ministry statement.
“The two countries should strengthen decision-making level communication to increase trust and eliminate suspicion … and encourage universities, academia and the strategic community to provide support for the two militaries to explore the correct way of coexisting.”
He said the summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Trump in South Korea gave strategic guidance for the stable development of the next stage of China-US relations, and that both sides should work to realise the consensus reached by the heads of state.


The meeting on Thursday was the first between the two leaders since Trump began his second term in January. Both sides appeared to show personal warmth and downplay the competitive aspect of the meeting, with each expressing an intention to visit the other’s country.
One notable departure from previous China-US summits was the issue of Taiwan, with Beijing and Washington not referring to the island in their public statements about the meeting.
However, Taiwan was raised during the talks on Friday. Dong said the US should be cautious in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue and must unequivocally oppose “Taiwan independence”.
“The reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait is an unstoppable historical trend,” Dong said.
Hegseth underlined US concerns about the Taiwan Strait as well as China’s activities in the South China Sea, saying on social media that he also met Philippine Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jnr on Friday.
“We will work relentlessly to reestablish deterrence in the South China Sea and advance our alliance,” he said.
Overall, the tone of the talks and statements was cordial, in contrast to May last year when Dong told then US defence secretary Lloyd Austin that the US had sent “a seriously wrong signal to the pro-independence separatist forces” on Taiwan. The message came as Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te assumed office and several months after Washington congratulated Lai on his election.
Austin expressed concern at the time about the PLA’s activities in the Taiwan Strait, emphasising that China should not use Taiwan’s political transition as a pretext for coercive measures.
Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons.
Friday’s meeting also came amid reports of an ongoing change to the US’ overall defence strategy. The reports suggest that the Pentagon’s new national defence strategy, which is still being developed, may prioritise the protection of the homeland and the western hemisphere, rather than competition with China and Russia.


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Military

A day after the Xi-Trump summit in South Korea, defence chiefs meet in Malaysia – and this time Taiwan is on the agenda


A day after the Xi-Trump summit in South Korea, defence chiefs meet in Malaysia – and this time Taiwan is on the agenda.
