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THE United States and China will establish military-to-military communication channels, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Sunday, describing bilateral ties as “never been better” even as tensions escalate in the South China Sea.
AP reported Hegseth saying that he spoke with his Chinese counterpart, Admiral Dong Jun, on Saturday during a regional security meeting, agreeing that “peace, stability and good relations are the best path for our two great and strong countries.”
He also noted discussions with former President Donald Trump, saying the US-China relationship “has never been better” and praising Trump’s recent meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea for “setting the tone for everlasting peace and success for the US and China.”
The announcement followed Hegseth’s earlier warnings to Southeast Asian nations about China’s “destabilising” actions in the South China Sea.
“China’s sweeping territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea fly in the face of their commitments to resolve disputes peacefully,” he said recently at a meeting with ASEAN counterparts. “We seek peace. We do not seek conflict. But we must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate you or anybody else.”
The South China Sea remains one of Asia’s most volatile flashpoints, with Beijing claiming almost the entire region, while the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also assert territorial claims.
Manila has repeatedly clashed with China’s maritime fleet, including a May 4 incident in which a Philippine resupply vessel, Unaizah, was hit by water cannon while attempting to reach the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.
Hegseth criticised Beijing’s recent designation of Scarborough Shoal as a “nature reserve,” calling it “yet another attempt to coerce new and expanded territorial and maritime claims at your expense.”
He urged ASEAN to expedite a long-delayed code of conduct with China and proposed shared maritime surveillance and rapid-response systems to deter provocation.
He described a “shared maritime domain awareness” network as a way to ensure that any member facing “aggression and provocation is not alone.”
Plans for an ASEAN-US maritime exercise in December were welcomed by Hegseth, aimed at strengthening regional coordination and upholding freedom of navigation.
China has rejected US criticism, accusing Washington of interference and asserting that its patrols and construction activities are lawful and intended to maintain security.
Tian Junli, spokesperson for China’s People’s Liberation Army Southern Theater Command, condemned a recent Philippine-US-Australia-New Zealand naval exercise as undermining regional peace, calling the Philippines “the troublemaker in the South China Sea issue and a saboteur of regional stability.”
Political analyst Bridget Welsh noted the contrasting US messaging, saying: “This is damage control. More importantly, it reflects two different currents in US relations with China – one that sees China as a threat and another a possible partner.” - November 2, 2025