Pete Hegseth Talked a Big Game to Indo-Pacific Allies—but Trump Mistrust Runs Deep

Against the backdrop of U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance's jaw-dropping polemic against European democracies at February's Munich Security Conference, this was a welcome return to sense, if not sanity.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth delivered a powerful though measured speech at Singapore's IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, pointedly calling out 'Communist China' for its 'massive military build-up, … grey zone tactics, and hybrid warfare,' while also hailing the strength and importance of America's regional alliances and using the word 'peace' 27 times.
'President Trump is a leader of peace, a man of peace, a force for peace,' Hegseth told the scores of Asia-Pacific defense and military chiefs crammed into the ballroom at Singapore's Shangri-La Hotel. 'And together, we will achieve that peace through strength.'
Hegseth repeatedly called the Indo-Pacific 'our priority theater' and, in a marked departure from Vance, actually praised European nations for hiking defense spending as an example that their Asian counterparts should emulate. 'It was quite surprising that he used Europe as a reference in terms of GDP [defense] spending,' Micael Johansson, president and CEO of the Swedish arms manufacturer Saab, told TIME. 'But it was a good speech and more collaborative than I had expected.'
As Hegseth described it, American defense policy was now that Europe's security would be left to Europeans, while the U.S. was focusing its rebuilt military might—augmented by a $1 trillion defense spend next year, a 13% year-on-year rise—on the Indo-Pacific. This would focus on boosting America's forward force deployment, helping allies and partners strengthen their security capabilities, and rebuilding defense industrial bases including within friendly nations.
'A strong, resolute, and capable network of allies and partners is our key strategic advantage,' said Hegseth.
Hegseth also unleashed several broadsides against China, accusing strongman President Xi Jinping of having 'ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027,' with the former Fox News anchor warning that an assault on the self-ruling island—which politically split from the mainland following China's 1945–49 civil war—'could be imminent.'
These remarks drew the inevitable rebuke from Beijing, which issued a statement saying Hegseth 'vilified China with defamatory allegations' that were 'filled with provocations and intended to sow discord.' Beijing also warned that Washington 'must never play with fire on [the Taiwan] question,' which is 'entirely China's internal affair.'
Notably, China's defense minister stayed away from the annual security summit for the first time since 2019. Admiral Dong Jun was rumored to have been under a corruption investigation amid a sweeping purge of high-ranking PLA officers, though latest reports suggest that he's been cleared.
The Chinese delegation that did attend treated Hegseth's accusations with scorn. 'He used a very strong, harsh tone, which surprised me a little, and it's unconstructive and hypocritical,' says Prof. Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy (CISS) at Beijing's Tsinghua University. 'Because the U.S. is imposing high tariffs on regional countries, so how can you expect them to partner with you against another economic power?'
Indeed, Trump's internecine global trade war was the glaring elephant in the room. Asked about the 'reciprocal tariffs' imposed in April, Hegseth joked: 'I am happily in the business of tanks, not trade, and I will leave that discussion to the man who knows how to do it best.'
Which was the ultimate takeaway for the brass hats present. Hegseth's statement of commitment to the region and working with allies was broadly welcomed but hedged by the chaotic approach of the guy he reports to. Indeed, Hegseth showed his hand when he admitted: 'My job is to create and maintain decision space for President Trump, not to purport to make decisions on his behalf.'
Delegates in Singapore were only too aware that today, more than during any other U.S. administration, power rests with just one man, whose constant policy flip-flops— embarrassing Zelensky before lambasting Putin; ripping up one Iranian nuclear deal before seeking another; hiking and pausing tariffs—have conjured a bevy of TACO, 'or Trump always chickens out,' memes as well as the impression that American words have never been cheaper.
'I'm quite sure it's just talk,' one European delegate said of Hegseth's speech. A Bangladeshi military officer agreed: 'It still feels like Trump is a more inward-looking than global President.'

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Politico

31 minutes ago

• Politico

Israel presses ahead with strikes as Trump's 2-week deadline looms

Israeli officials insisted Friday that they will keep up their bombing campaign against Iran, even as President Donald Trump has given Tehran a two-week deadline to come to some sort of diplomatic deal that reins in its nuclear program. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, laid out his country's case at the U.N. Security Council, facing off Friday with Iranian representatives who urged the world to stop the Israeli strikes. 'Israel will not stop. Not until Iran's nuclear threat is dismantled, not until its war machine is disarmed, not until our people and yours are safe,' Danon declared. The Israeli assertions highlight how Trump's statement that he'll decide 'in the next two weeks' whether to strike Iranian nuclear sites provides an opportunity to Israel as much as it puts pressure on Iran. For Iran, it's two weeks to come to some sort of diplomatic deal with the U.S. that constrains its nuclear, and possibly other, programs. For Israel, it's a focused timeframe to do as much damage as it can to Iran's nuclear and broader military infrastructure before the U.S. may pressure it to accept a diplomatic solution. The more damage Israel does, the more it could weaken an enemy and improve the odds that Iran will capitulate to U.S. demands in the diplomatic process. The strikes themselves couldthreaten the survival of Iran's Islamist regime. Trump told reporters on Friday that he wasn't about to push Israel to halt its assault in Iran while he weighs what the U.S. should do. 'It's very hard to make that request right now,' Trump said. 'If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing, but we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens.' A senior administration official, granted anonymity to speak about the president's thinking, said 'everything is still on the table.' 'This is about giving this a little time and seeing if things look any different in a couple weeks,' the official said. Trump's 'two-week' window was delivered Thursday by press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said, quoting Trump, that his delay in determining whether to join Israel's attack on Iran was 'based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future.' Trump often says he'll make decisions in two weeks, only to extend his deadline again or never follow through. Still, Israel and Iran appear to believe the next two weeks will be a crucial phase. Iranian officials showed up for nuclear talks with European officials on Friday in Geneva; Israel pressed ahead with its bombing campaign against Iran, which is responding with missiles. Iranian officials met Friday with European envoys in Geneva in an attempt to revitalize the diplomatic process. The talks ended on an ambiguous note. Iranian officials have said their participation in future talks would hinge on Israel stopping its attacks. Some European representatives said talks should continue regardless, even as they urged both sides to avoid escalation. 'We invited the Iranian minister to consider negotiations with all sides, including the United States, without awaiting the cessation of strikes, which we also hope for,' French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said. For Israel, the most critical, but perhaps toughest, official objective is eliminating Iran's nuclear facility at Fordo. That facility is buried deep underground, and Israel has been hoping Trump will enter the fight and use special, massive U.S. bombs to destroy it. There are concerns, however, including among Republicans, that Iran could retaliate against U.S. assets if America enters the conflict on any level, dragging America into another Middle Eastern war. Trump campaigned on avoiding such wars. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hinted that Israel has means to destroy Fordo on its own. It's not clear what those methods could involve, but Israel has significant intelligence operations inside Iran and it has often surprised even Washington with its capabilities. Either way, current and former Israeli officials said they saw no reason for Israel to back off its strikes now, despite calls for deescalation from some world capitals. The more Israel degrades Iran's capabilities, the less able Tehran will be to mount retaliatory attacks on Israel or the United States, should the latter choose to enter the war. From the beginning, 'the Israeli planning was based on the assumption that we have to do it alone,' said a former Israeli diplomat familiar with the situation. The person, like others, was granted anonymity to discuss highly sensitive issues. It's unclear whether there is any deal with Iran that Israel would deem strong enough. There is tremendous distrust of Iran's Islamist regime within Israel's security establishment, leading to a sense that Iran would cheat on any deal. Another unsettled question is whether a deal with Iran will cover only its nuclear program or also curb its ballistic missile initiative and support for proxy militias in the region. Some analysts have argued that Netanyahu decided to begin attacking Iran last week because he was worried earlier nuclear talks between Iran and the Trump administration would yield too weak a deal. If new efforts at diplomacy yield fruit, Trump could pressure Netanyahu to accept whatever deal emerges, potentially even by threatening to withhold weapons and other equipment Israel needs to defend itself against Iran. The war is costly for Israel, which has been fighting on multiple fronts — in particular against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip — since October 2023. As one Israeli official said, Iranian missile attacks feel like 'Russian roulette' to Israeli citizens.

New York Times

42 minutes ago

• New York Times

TikTok's Owner Wanted to Publish Books. Not Anymore.

When 8th Note Press launched in the summer of 2023, the small publisher had a big advantage over other new presses. It was started by the Chinese technology company ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, the wildly popular social media platform where viral endorsements can transform books into best sellers overnight. That was not enough, it seems, to build a successful publishing business. In late May, 8th Note Press began informing writers that it was shutting down and returning publication rights to the authors. News of the press's demise, which was reported earlier by the The Bookseller, came as a shock to authors who were swayed by the possibility that 8th Note could help engineer best sellers with elaborate marketing campaigns on TikTok. Instead, 8th Note has started taking down digital editions of their books, effectively unpublishing them. The literary agent Mark Gottlieb, who sold the debut novel 'To Have and Have More' to 8th Note, said the company was doing 'irreparable damage' to its authors by shutting down so haphazardly. While publishing imprints frequently come and go, the books and authors they publish are usually moved elsewhere within the parent company, rather than being taken out of circulation entirely. If a book is published then quickly disappears, it can be difficult to resell it to another publisher, Gottlieb said. 'They're wrecking careers in the process of doing this,' he said of 8th Note. 'If you're an author and this is your first book, what the history is going to show is that your book published and quickly went out of print.' 8th Note's precipitous fall was surprising, given its parent company's vast resources and reach. Just last year, the press seemed poised to expand. Last October, its executives announced a partnership with the publisher Zando to put out print editions of its books and distribute them to physical bookstores. The plan was to release 10 to 15 titles a year, with a focus on romance, romantasy and young adult fiction. Later, the imprint indicated to agents that it was expanding into science fiction and fantasy. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.

Miami Herald

an hour ago

• Miami Herald

Report: Maserati Under Threat of Being Sold by Parent Company

According to a new report published by Reuters, the storied Italian performance powerhouse, Maserati, may be headed toward an uncertain future. The newswire states that "two sources familiar with the matter" told them that parent company Stellantis is exploring a potential sale of the Trident as part of a broader review of its massive portfolio of 14 distinct automotive brands. Discussions regarding Maserati began before Antonio Filosa was named the automaker's new CEO last month. Filosa's first day as CEO of Stellantis is Monday, June 23, where he will take the helm as Carlos Tavares's formal successor. Tavares, who led Stellantis from its inception, stepped down in December amid disappointing U.S. sales and inventory struggles and growing internal and external pressure to reassess the company's direction. Stellantis Chairman John Elkann has a plate and a half full when it comes to overseeing the company's wide range of global brands, which include the likes of Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Peugeot, and Alfa Romeo. The company is under pressure to streamline its operations and invest wisely. Stellantis is a publicly traded company listed on the stock exchanges of New York, Paris, and Milan, and financially savvy investors and analysts think that trimming down the 14-brand lineup could boost Stellantis' margins. Back in April, they brought in McKinsey & Co., a consulting firm based in New York, to examine the impact of new U.S. tariffs and explore options for Maserati and Alfa Romeo. According to the sources cited by Reuters, selling one or both brands is on the table, but any decisions are still in the early phases. In an emailed statement to Autoblog, a Maserati spokesperson provided the following statement: "A spokesperson for Stellantis stated: 'Respectfully, Maserati is not for sale.'" Additionally, a McKinsey spokesperson told Autoblog in a separate emailed statement that they "have no comment for this story." The timing of the Trident's review coincides with its efforts to position itself to navigate some significant industry challenges. Chinese brands and their affordable, tech-forward offerings are eating into the European market share. Like other European automakers, Stellantis is also trying to navigate the steep U.S. import tariffs recently imposed by President Donald Trump, which can greatly impact import brands like Maserati and the expensive motors it imports in smaller numbers. Unlike Stellantis brands like Dodge, Jeep, and Chrysler, no Maserati comes from a production facility in North America; all of Maserati's U.S. lineup is exclusively imported from Italy. Maserati's performance has been underwhelming, as it faces tough ground in its key markets. According to Maserati Chief Executive Officer Santo Ficili, about 35% to 40% of its customers are American. In 2024, Maserati posted an adjusted operating loss of €260 million ($298 million) as it sold just 11,300 units, with 4,819 of those cars reaching drivers in the United States. One of the sources who talked to Reuters said that Stellantis is starting to realize it has more brands than it can really focus on, adding that it needs to "set priorities" with the matter. They also report that some board members are split on this scenario: some think selling Maserati is the best move, while others worry that getting rid of its only luxury brand would hurt the company's reputation. This is not the first time that Maserati has been speculated to be sold. Notably, last year, comments from former Stellantis CFO Natalie Knight suggested that the Trident may be on the way out at the 14-brand automaker, which has sincebeen refuted. However, what we solidly know is that Maserati and Alfa Romeo's brand CEO said that it has a turnaround plan as soon as Filosa takes the helm on Monday, the 23rd. In a June 5 interview with Reuters, he not only denied that Stellantis was selling Maserati, but he also expressed optimism over the future of the Trident and that Filosa will back potential plans, which include new products on the horizon. "We have clear ideas about what we want to do, and we hope we can be ready very soon. Let's wait for Antonio to take up his job," Ficili told the newswire. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.