Hegseth became the first Pentagon chief in more than a decade to avoid mentioning Taiwan during a speech that lasted about 30 minutes at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue.

While the US defence chief gave gung-ho speech at last year’s conference, post-summit reset in ties may prompt moderation.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue Defense Summit, saying ties between China and the US have stabilized and taking swipes at the growing tensions…