Hegseth travels to Manila to reassure Asian allies

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrived in the Philippines this week to attend the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, a gathering designed to reinforce military cooperation across the region. The talks are scheduled to run from Wednesday to Thursday, bringing together defense officials from the 11 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight of its dialogue partners.

Representatives from Australia, New Zealand, Russia, and China are also expected to attend the Manila sessions. A parallel event for ASEAN members only will occur alongside the main talks. India, South Korea, and Japan will also be represented, with Indian officials planning bilateral meetings to review existing defense ties and explore new strategic partnerships.

The timing of the summit coincides with heightened friction in the South China Sea. The Philippines currently holds the rotating chair for the summit, and analysts expect Manila to push for a finalized code of conduct with China. This proposed framework would outline how to manage maritime disputes and handle conflicts in the waterway, where the Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan all hold overlapping territorial claims.

Tensions have escalated sharply in recent weeks. The US Naval Institute reported at least eight close encounters between vessels in the South China Sea and the nearby Luzon Strait this month. Diplomatic relations took a further strain when Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan stated that Beijing could easily win a war with the Philippines. A Philippine senator responded by calling for the ambassador's expulsion.

Beijing has not yet confirmed whether Defense Minister Dong Jun will attend the meeting in person, though he could make a last-minute appearance. Bonnie Glaser, managing director of the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific Program, noted that Dong attended the previous two years' events. Glaser suggested that a face-to-face meeting between Dong and Hegseth could help lay the groundwork for later meetings between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this year.

William Yang, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group, said the South China Sea dispute will be a central focus because of the Philippines' current chairmanship. He expects the summit to address other regional security issues, including the ongoing civil war in Myanmar.

Analysts indicate that a primary goal for Hegseth is to reassure the bloc that the US remains committed to the region despite its ongoing conflict with Iran. Washington has moved some military assets from South Korea and Japan to the Middle East over the past year. President Trump has also sent mixed signals regarding Taiwan, reportedly delaying a major arms package to the island ahead of his scheduled meeting with Xi at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November.

Ja Ian Chong, a political scientist at the National University of Singapore, observed that Hegseth's actions will be closely watched. Chong noted that recent comments by US defense official Elbridge Colby suggested Washington would focus on substance rather than empty gestures in the Asia-Pacific, making the calibration of US commitments a complex task for the secretary.