SINGAPORE – The United States has pledged to prioritise working with “model allies” that have risen to its call for a more equitable sharing of the security burden globally.
Drawing a sharp contrast to European allies, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth praised the response of Indo-Pacific partners in responding to the Trump administration’s expectation for nations to spend 3.5 per cent of their GDP on defence expenditure in his address.
“We expect every single ally and partner to match that kind of resolve for those nations that rise to this challenge that embrace responsibility as true partners,” Mr Hegseth said in his address on May 30 at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue, a leading security and defence forum focused on the Asia Pacific.
“The benefits will be clear, as our strategy states, we will prioritise working with model allies, those nations who are most capable, clear-eyed and ready to defend their national interests,” he added.
“For those nations, we are moving them to the front of the line: expedited arms sales, deep industrial base collaboration, expanded intelligence sharing.”
Mr Hegseth listed Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam among those that are stepping up, while Taiwan and New Zealand were not mentioned.
Some Asian delegates whose countries were cited breathed a sigh of relief. One from the Philippines quipped to another from Japan: “We were mentioned.”
But Taiwan’s former defence minister Andrew Yang noted the omission of the island, saying that it’s clear that the question of the US’ support for Taiwan can only be answered by President Trump. “What can you do about it?”
Striking a more conciliatory tone toward China, Mr Hegseth’s address is the first major US defence policy speech after the recent summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and American President Donald Trump in Beijing two weeks ago, where they agreed on a new framework of “constructive strategic stability” between the world’s two largest economies.
“What we seek – and what the President has constantly articulated – is a genuinely stable equlibrium that works for Americans and our allies, a favourable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony and hold the security or prosperity of our nation and our allies in question,” Mr Hegseth said on May 30.
In his speech, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said Washington will prioritise working with “model allies”.
ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
After the summit, Mr Trump added to uncertainty when he said who said he was unsure if he would approve what would have been the largest arms sale to Taiwan, the self-governing island that is a major security flashpoint in the Asia Pacific and US-China ties.
The Taiwan Relations Act, enacted in 1979, permits the US to provide Taiwan with the resources required for its effective self-defence.
Trump’s transactionalism in prioritising trade negotiations with China has left some of its largest partners in the Asia Pacific worried Taiwan would be relegated in importance.
This uncertainty was initially fanned by Mr Trump’s public silence after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told Parliament in November that any Chinese attack on Taiwan that threatens Japan would justify a military response – enraging Beijing and triggering a major diplomatic dispute between the two neighbours.
Under the Trump administration, the US is demanding allies take more responsibility of their security needs. Its defence strategy is premised on defending the US with a focus on dominating its Western hemisphere and deterring China in the Indo-Pacific.
The Trump administration’s 2026 national defence strategy document stood out for wording that appears to be softer in tone on China.