US Defense Secretary Just Accepted China's Military Power: Hegseth Asks Asia Allies To Do This

[00:00:00]When we look across the region today, there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond. We share a clear-eyed assessment of that security environment.

[00:00:17]A mutual understanding that a Pacific dominated by any hegemon would unravel the regional balance of power and undermine the equilibrium we all seek to preserve. The Department of War is working with the utmost focus to prevent any such unraveling. It's our essential responsibility at the Department to ensure that the president is always negotiating from a position of unquestionable strength in order to sustain peace here in the Pacific and around the globe.

[00:00:47]To ensure our military might preserves stability, we will pair it with a clarity of intent, which is why we are meeting more frequently with our Chinese counterparts.

[00:00:58]By maintaining open lines of military-to-military communication, we can coordinate, deconflict, and reduce the risks of miscalculation.

[00:01:07]This dialogue is not a sign of capitulation capitulation in either direction, but a practical guardrail ensuring the relationship our leaders seek at the top is preserved at every level.

[00:01:22]And while a decent peace is our goal, make no mistake, America is a Pacific nation, and we insist that China respect our long-standing position in the region, and not just insist, but maintain the manifest military strength to underwrite what we seek and what the president has constantly articulated is a genuinely stable equilibrium that works for Americans as well as our allies. A favorable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question.

[00:02:04]The United States seeks to preserve the conditions that have long underwritten peace and prosperity in this region.

[00:02:11]We are the power working to sustain equilibrium, not to disrupt plain and simple.

[00:02:19]We defend the status quo that has enabled extraordinary growth and opportunity across the region.

[00:02:27]Our interests in the Pacific are significant, but they are also scoped and reasonable, defined by a favorable balance of power in which sovereignty is respected, commerce flows freely, and nations retain the freedom to make their own choices.

[00:02:44]This is the balance America upholds and will not allow others to overturn.

[00:02:51]Under President Trump's leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they've been in many years.

[00:02:58]President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China. It's not a coincidence that this has happened.

[00:03:09]Strong, quiet, but clear is the right recipe for stability.

[00:03:15]Just 2 weeks ago, President Trump and President Xi engaged in direct discussions in Beijing that reinforced this very foundation. I bore witness to their hours of candid conversations.

[00:03:27]It was truly historic.

[00:03:30]They agreed that the United States and China should build a constructive relationship of strategic stability based on fairness and reciprocity.

[00:03:40]We are affirming that while our nations will vigorously protect our respective interests, we can secure practical, mutually beneficial agreements where our interests align.