Hegseth Strikes Milder Tone on China at Shangri-La, Emphasizing ‘Strategic Stability’
SINGAPORE — US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered a keynote address at the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday, outlining a “clear-eyed” approach to China that struck a notably milder tone than his 2025 speech, as he emphasized “constructive strategic stability” between the world’s two largest economies.
Speaking two weeks after the Trump-Xi summit in Beijing, Hegseth declared that US-China relations are “better than they have been in many years,” according to SCMP. The address marked a significant tonal shift from his previous year’s warnings of an “imminent” Chinese threat, instead praising the Xi-Trump talks as “historic” and calling for a relationship built on “fairness and reciprocity.”
A Deliberate Shift in Tone
Hegseth acknowledged “rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup” but stressed that Washington does not seek “needless confrontation in the region.” As The Guardian reported, he called for “a genuinely stable equilibrium in Asia that works for Americans as well as our allies” and “a favourable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony.”
The speech was delivered before defense officials from approximately 45 countries. For the second consecutive year, China did not send its Defense Minister Dong Jun, instead dispatching a lower-level panel of military experts and scholars.
Burden-Sharing as Central Theme
A key pillar of Hegseth’s address was the push for allies to shoulder more responsibility for regional security. He called for allies to spend 3.5 percent of GDP on defense and declared that the US needs “partners, not protectorates” — alliances “built on shared responsibility, not dependency.”
As ABC News Australia reported, Hegseth boasted about the Trump administration’s record $1.5 trillion defense budget request, saying it would “unleash America’s arsenal of freedom and expand America’s military dominance for decades to come.” He stressed that the US would “speak softly” but “carry a big stick.”
The Straits Times noted that Hegseth listed Australia, India, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam among nations stepping up — but conspicuously omitted Taiwan and New Zealand from his roll call.
Taiwan: The Deliberate Omission
Hegseth did not mention Taiwan once in his main speech, a notable absence given the island’s status as a major flashpoint in US-China relations. The omission came weeks after the US paused $14 billion in arms sales to Taiwan to preserve munitions stocks for the ongoing Iran conflict.
In the Q&A session, Hegseth downplayed any linkage between the Taiwan arms pause and the Iran war, stating that “any decision about future Taiwan arms sales, as the president said, will rest with him.” He maintained there had been “no change” in Washington’s overall position on Taiwan.
Chinese Response and Regional Reactions
China’s embassy in Singapore responded by accusing the US of being the “biggest troublemaker” for regional peace and stability, adopting a measured tone that suggested a wait-and-see approach. Regional reactions were mixed — Japan sought reassurance on security commitments, while South Korea praised the speech.
US Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) criticized Hegseth’s message as “patronising” and “inconsistent with the values on which our nation was founded,” highlighting ongoing tensions between traditional internationalist and Trumpian realist approaches to foreign policy.
Analysis and Implications
Hegseth’s 2026 speech represents a significant recalibration of US messaging toward China, moving from the confrontational “imminent threat” language of 2025 to a framework emphasizing “constructive strategic stability.” The “strong, quiet, clear” formulation encapsulates this approach — maintaining deterrence while leaving room for diplomatic engagement.
As The Daily Signal reported, Hegseth framed the Trump-Xi dialogue not as “capitulation” but as a “practical guardrail, ensuring the relationship our leaders seek at the top is preserved at every level.”
What’s Next
The coming months will test whether the “constructive strategic stability” framework produces tangible results. Key questions include the fate of the $14 billion Taiwan arms package, whether China will send its defense minister to the 2027 Shangri-La Dialogue, and how the Iran peace deal negotiations will affect US military posture in the Indo-Pacific. The burden-sharing demands also raise questions about whether Asian allies can — or will — meet the 3.5 percent GDP defense spending target.