U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Southeast Asian nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea. Speaking at a meeting in Malaysia with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Hegseth reiterated U.S. concern…

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urges Southeast Asian nations to strengthen their maritime forces to counter China's actions in the South China Sea.

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday lashed out at China for its military activities in the South China Sea, calling for collective efforts to counter them, such as crafting a shared...