Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth called on Southeast Asia to strengthen cooperation in maritime surveillance including the use of unmanned technologies to counter what he said was worsening aggression by Beijing in the South China Sea.Speaking during an meeting in Malaysia with defence ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations on Saturday, Hegseth urged the bloc to build a unified maritime domain awareness network and develop joint capabilities to respond to threats.“Shared examples of intimidation, harassment and illegal activities are occurring within your sovereign waters and across the South China Sea,” Hegseth said.

‘Ensure China Not Dominating Anybody’

“We do not seek conflict, but we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else.” In Malaysia, Hegseth had voiced serious concerns about Beijing’s naval activity around Taiwan and the South China Sea during a meeting on Friday with Chinese defence minister Dong Jun.On Saturday he went a step further, citing recent incidents including Chinese coast guard ships using water cannons and ramming Philippine vessels. While he welcomed dialogue between US and Beijing, he also called China’s designation of the disputed Scarborough Shoal as a nature reserve “unjustifiable.” (This is a Bloomberg story)