02.06.2025 – 06.06.2025 Weekly Presents

US Defense Secretary Peirce Hastings warned on May 31 that China is preparing to use military force to change the balance of power in Asia.

The Trump administration is engaged in a showdown with China over trade, technology and influence, Hastings said at an annual security forum in Singapore.

Since taking office in January, Trump has waged a trade war with China, restricted China’s access to US AI technology, and increased defense ties with allies like the Philippines, which has a territorial dispute with China.

“The threat from China is real and could be imminent,” Hastings told the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is attended by defense officials from around the world.

He said China is preparing for the possibility of using military force to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region.

In addition, the Chinese military is building up capabilities to invade Taiwan and is conducting drills for that event, Hassett said.

China has increased military pressure on Taiwan and conducted large-scale military exercises near Taiwan.

Hassett said the United States is focused on deterring China’s aggression, and urged U.S. allies and partners in Asia to quickly ramp up defenses in the face of rising threats.

Hassett accused China of conducting cyberattacks and harassing its neighbors, and of engaging in illegal territorial claims and militarization in the South China Sea.

China claims almost all of the waters of the South China Sea, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes.

China has also clashed frequently with the Philippines in strategic maritime borders in recent months, and US officials have said those issues will dominate the Shangri-La talks.

As the Shangri-La talks were taking place in Singapore, the Chinese military announced that its air force and navy were conducting combat-ready patrols near Scarborough Shoal, which the Philippines claims.

Casey Meese, the acting charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, told reporters ahead of the Shangri-La meeting that China’s activities in the South China Sea have increased in recent years.