Singapore, 1 June - Southeast Asian countries sent a clear message at the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum: they do not want to be drawn into a rivalry between the United States and China. In their speeches, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing rejected "choosing sides" and stressed that the region needs principles, not bloc confrontation.
Their statement came after the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called on Asia-Pacific states to increase military spending to up to 5 % of GDP due to alleged threats from China. The response came swiftly - not only from ASEAN but also from Beijing.
China's foreign ministry said Hegseth was spreading a "Cold War mentality", spreading disinformation and trying to divide the region. Chinese experts called the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy as a tool of hegemony that artificially creates blocks, creates tensions and undermines stability.
Instead, Beijing is pushing for the so-called. Asian security modelwhich is based on cooperation, dialogue and shared prosperity. According to Chinese delegates and experts, this has a better resonance with regional countries than US calls for militarisation.
English 
Czech 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
Russian 
Chinese 
German