US DefenCe Secretary Pete Hegseth will meet South-East Asian counterparts in Cebu amid growing regional concern over the Iran war.
Although the Pentagon insists the visit reaffirms US commitment to “peace through strength” in the Pacific, an analyst says leaders want clarity on Washington’s focus.
“They will want to seek answers from the US regarding certainty towards alliances and partnerships,” said Collin Koh, a security scholar at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies.
“The bigger elephant in the room is how that juxtaposes with US commitment to the Indo-Pacific.”
South-East Asian economies are reeling from energy and shipping disruptions caused by the Feb 28 US-Israeli strikes on Iran. These fuel shocks have pushed energy security to the top of Asean’s agenda. — Reuters
