Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth has called on Indo-Pacific allies to increase their defense spending in the face of a “real” threat from China. Hegseth made the remarks at the Shangri-La security summit in Singapore.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday cautioned that China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force” in a bid to reorder the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

Hegseth was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense forum, being held in Singapore.

China’s army is “rehearsing for the real deal,” the Pentagon chief said, highlighting how the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent,” he said.

Hegseth reassured Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region that they would not be abandoned to tackle the growing military and economic pressures from Beijing.

He called on the Asian allies to bolster their own defense spending, adding that “deterrence doesn’t come on the cheap.”

“It’s hard to believe a little bit… that I’m saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,” said Hegseth, pointing to pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump’s spending target of 5% of GDP, which is a higher percentage of GDP than the US currently spends on defense.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore

United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday cautioned that China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force” in a bid to reorder the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.

Hegseth was speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense forum, being held in Singapore.

China’s army is “rehearsing for the real deal,” the Pentagon chief said, highlighting how the Indo-Pacific region was a priority for President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent,” he said.

Hegseth reassured Washington’s allies in the Indo-Pacific region that they would not be abandoned to tackle the growing military and economic pressures from Beijing.

He called on the Asian allies to bolster their own defense spending, adding that “deterrence doesn’t come on the cheap.”

“It’s hard to believe a little bit… that I’m saying this, but thanks to President Trump, Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,” said Hegseth, pointing to pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump’s spending target of 5% of GDP, which is a higher percentage of GDP than the US currently spends on defense.