Overview

• At the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth declared China’s military buildup around Taiwan “real and imminent.”
• He urged regional allies to raise their defense spending toward 5 percent of GDP to strengthen collective deterrence.
• Hegseth contrasted his warning with predecessor Lloyd Austin’s view that conflict was neither imminent nor inevitable, signaling a strategic shift.
• China’s Ministry of National Defence spokesman Zhang Xiaogang accused the US of provoking disputes and pursuing selfish interests.
• Beijing dispatched navy and air force units on combat readiness patrols near the disputed Scarborough Shoal as tensions escalated.