Overview
- In a CBS 60 Minutes excerpt, President Trump said Xi Jinping assured him Beijing would not move on Taiwan during Trump’s term, and he declined to say whether the U.S. would defend the island.
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met China’s Admiral Dong Jun in Malaysia and said the two agreed to establish military‑to‑military deconfliction channels with further meetings planned.
- Hegseth visited the DMZ with South Korea’s defense minister before annual alliance talks, as U.S. and South Korean chiefs oversaw a first combined formation flight over Pyeongtaek to underscore readiness.
- Following the Security Consultative Meeting in Seoul, Hegseth said the Pentagon will work with other U.S. agencies to implement Trump’s pledge to help South Korea build nuclear‑powered submarines, while Seoul stated it will not pursue nuclear weapons.
- The allies discussed modernizing their posture, including exploring more flexible roles for U.S. Forces Korea, progress on transferring wartime operational control to Seoul, expanding maintenance of U.S. warships in Korea, and increased South Korean defense spending.