US Defense Secretary Urges Asian Leaders to Increase Military Spending Against China
The U.S. Defense Secretary expressed concern over China's military buildup, urging Asian leaders to boost their own defense spending. Despite the warning, he adopted a more moderate tone regarding broader U.S.-China relations.
The U.S. defense secretary said there is "rightful alarm" of China's military build up. But he also struck a more moderate tone on U.S.-China relations β and notably sidestepped bringing up Taiwan. <img alt="U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth waits to deliver his speech at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore on Saturday." src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7025x4684+0+0/resize/7025x4684!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F62%2Ff0%2Fee...