US Offers ASEAN Surveillance Help, Then Praises China Ties

US offers ASEAN surveillance help in the South China Sea, then praises US–China ties and announces new mil-to-mil channels.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth arrives for an ADMM meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Nov. 1, 2025. (Dita Alangkara/Pool/AFP)

The United States on Saturday told Southeast Asian defence ministers it is ready to share technology and information to help them watch Chinese activity in the disputed South China Sea and respond together to what it called Beijing’s “destabilising actions.” Hours later, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on X that Washington and Beijing would set up direct military-to-military communications.

Hegseth, attending the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur, said the United States could help the region build shared maritime domain awareness, a networked picture of who is operating at sea.

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by Edwin Shri Bimo

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