Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth is the headline speaker at Asia's premier defense summit, which began on Friday with top Chinese officials notably absent despite weighty questions over Taiwan and the war in Iran.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth’s speech at Asian security forum to serve as important gauge of whether summit has stabilised US-China relations.

Beijing will not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to Asia's top security summit, where US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to speak.