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The Pentagon chief, in a rare omission, avoided any mention of Taiwan in a speech to Asian officials.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his address during the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's annual defense and security forum, in Singapore on May 30, 2026. | Achmad Ibrahim/AP
SINGAPORE — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday delivered the message to Asia that he’s been preaching to European allies, framing the relationship in more transactional terms while sidestepping the biggest military flashpoint in the region.
He called for “drama-free” ties in a major policy speech to Asian officials that made no mention of Taiwan, a rare omission for a Defense secretary about the self-governing island that China claims as its own. He instead called for Washington and Beijing to have a relationship “based on fairness and reciprocity.”
