The Pentagon President Higseth tells us to “ready and win” against China

Singapore – Pentagon President Beit Higseth warned on Saturday that the United States is ready to “fight and win” against China if deterrence efforts fail, while urging Asian allies to enhance military coordination and raise defense spending.

Speaking at the Shangri-La annual defense summit in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Higsith stressed Washington’s intention to strengthen the defense capabilities at a time when the regional war erupted around the world, including the Russian war in Ukraine and the military conflict in Gaza.

While playing the United States’ commitment to India and the Pacific, Higseth began the strikes in the absence of the defense minister of China. “We are here this morning. Another person is not.”

Higseth urged political defense leaders and defense to attend urgently to advance the escalating military pressure in China in the South China Sea and around Taiwan.

“China has proven that it wants to change the status quo mainly in the region. We cannot look far away and we cannot ignore it. China’s behavior towards its neighbors and the world is an invitation to wake up and urgently,” said Higseth.

“We ask, in fact, insist that our allies and partners are playing their role in defense,” he said, adding that “our defensive spending must reflect the risks and threats that we face today, because deterrence does not come as cheap.”

The sharp speech comes against the background of increasing commercial frictions between Washington and Beijing as an optimism about a deal after a temporary tariff truce guaranteed earlier this month.

The United States of China’s commercial talks “is a little suspended”, and the heads of the two countries will guarantee the Secretary of the Treasury Scott Payette Fox News said Thursday.

The Pentagon leader said that China’s activities in the South China Sea undermine sovereignty and threaten freedom of navigation and abandoning light, while its continuous military operations near Taiwan indicate a clear intention to escalate the pressure on the island.

He also pledged to intensify security near the United States, which led to the elimination of the “malicious” influence of China on the Panama channel. “It is the main terrain, after all, China has not built that channel. We have done so, and we will not allow China with its weapon or control.”

China said in March She was ready to fight “any kind of war” with the United States, as president Donald Trump Economic and political pressure was shocked by the country. “If the war is what the United States wants, whether it is an introductory war, a commercial war or any other type of war, we are ready to fight to the end,” said the Chinese embassy in the United States.

Chinese Defense Minister Dong John was absent from this year’s summit – the first time Skip the event since 2019. Instead, Beijing sent a low delegation, led by Major General Jean -Jansjej, Vice President of the Liberation Army at the National Defense University.

Major General Ho is expected to participate in a special session later on Saturday about the Cooperative Security in the Asia Pacific region.

The lack of a senior military official in China has suspected whether there will be a bilateral meeting between Chinese defense officials and the United States.

Last year, Lloyd Austin and Dong defense minister held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the security forum, as the two sides agreed to preserve the military dialogue.

Experts said that the absence of Defense Minister in Beijing may be an attempt to avoid participation and contradiction with the United States at flash points such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

Drew Thompson, an older colleague at the College of International Studies in S. Rajoratnam and a former Ministry of Defense official: “Beijing always wants to control the narration and speech. Changgrilla cannot.”

“When I was in the Ministry of Defense, I explained to me my counterpart in PLA once they did not like it. He said:” We do not like to be wrestlers fighting each other for other entertainment. We want to deal with our differences at the bilateral level, in channels, not in public forums. “

Beijing sees limited strategic benefits in sending senior defense officials to the annual summit, and instead, it focuses on deepening relations through alternative forums without the presence of the United States. This is according to the translation of CNBC for his comments in mandarin.

The United States government Plan To intensify arms sales to Taiwan to a level exceeding $ 18.3 billion during the first period of Trump, exceeding $ 8.4 billion that was approved under President Biden, according to Reuters.

The proposed weapons packages will focus on cost effective systems such as missiles, ammunition and drones, as part of an attempt to enhance the deterrent capabilities like Taiwan like Beijing increases pressure On the democratic island.

The United States was an important resource for the ally and weapons for decades, as Beijing called on Washington to stop these measures Stop creating tensions In the Strait of Taiwan.

Beijing claims that Taiwan as a region and pledged to “reunite” with the democratically governed island, if necessary. Taiwan government rejects the claims of Beijing.

For years, China has steadily formed its military pressure to confirm its sovereignty demands on Taiwan, where it regularly sends marine ships near the island.

Dong warned in the Shangri dialogue, not last year that any forces aimed at separating Taiwan from China will face “self -destruction” and stressed the Taiwan issue as “the essence of our basic interest.”

Fears have left Trump’s commitment to the island as well. On the electoral campaign, Trump suggested that Taiwan should pay the price of American protection and accuse it of rid of the semiconductor industry in America, which raises a warning in Taipei.