When pressed on the thorny matter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a quick zinger. He was here at Asia’s preeminent security forum to talk “tanks, not tariffs.” Concerns over the White House’s protectionism and its impacts on a region knitted together by trade were,

Hegseth focused his warning on Beijing’s stance toward Taiwan, making the stakes clear for the broader region. “To be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,” he said.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan, while urging Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war.