KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) - US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth expressed Washington's concern about China's actions in the South China Sea during a meeting with Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun, reported Sputnik/RIA Novosti.
Hegseth said that the meeting held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ forum in Malaysia was good and constructive.
"I highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance of power in the Indo-Pacific and emphasised US concerns about China's activities in the South China Sea, around Taiwan, and towards US allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific," Hegseth said on X.
The US does not seek conflict and will continue to firmly defend its interests in the region, he added.
Taiwan has been governed independently of mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan, a territory with its own elected government, maintains that it is an autonomous country, although it has stopped short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts by foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
The situation around Taiwan escalated in August 2022, when then-speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, visited the island. Beijing condemned Pelosi's visit, saying it symbolised US support for Taiwanese separatism, and conducted large-scale military exercises around the island.
-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI
TAGS: US, China, Taiwan, Hegseth, defence ministers meeting
