Overview
- Hegseth said he and Admiral Dong Jun agreed to set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate, with follow-up meetings planned.
- He described relations as having "never been better" following the Xi–Trump meeting that set a positive tone for the talks.
- In remarks to ASEAN defense ministers in Kuala Lumpur, Hegseth urged stronger maritime forces to counter what he called destabilizing actions in the South China Sea.
- He proposed a shared maritime domain awareness network and rapid-response arrangements and criticized Beijing’s designation of Scarborough Shoal as a nature reserve.
- He welcomed plans for an ASEAN–U.S. maritime exercise in December, while Chinese officials rejected U.S. accusations as interference.