KUALA LUMPUR: It is "completely unrealistic" for Southeast Asian countries to heed the United States' call of boosting defence spending to counter China's growing power, analysts say, as the region prioritises domestic development while balancing ties with the two superpowers.Economic pressures from the Iran war have tightened governments’ purse strings, the experts say, adding that Southeast Asian states could instead improve defence cooperation with middle powers and use multilateral platforms like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to navigate great power competition in the region.Last Saturday (May 30), US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth urged Asian allies to ramp up military spending to prevent China’s dominance in the region, warning of "rightful alarm" over its rapid military build-up.The US expects its Asian allies and partners to increase defence spending to 3.5 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, known as Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats.
"Less Shangri-La, more ships, more subs," Hegseth said, stressing that the region needed greater defence capability than conferences.
