Pentagon chief tells Asian allies: Raise defence spending to 5% of GDP like Europe

Hegseth says this will boost collective effort to deal with the 'threat' of China, N. Korea

- Clement Tan

The US wants Asian countries to increase their defence spending to match levels that Washington expects of European allies, saying that they bear the brunt of the "threat" of China and North Korea in their backyards.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth reassured allies that the Indo-Pacific remains the US "priority theatre" in his address on May 31 at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, a leading security and defence forum focused on the Asia-Pacific.

With nations taking ownership of their own defence, the Pentagon chief said this would in turn boost the collective effort to deal with the "threat" of China's quest for "hegemonic power in Asia".

"It is hard to believe I can say this — but Asian allies and partners should look to countries in Europe as a newfound example. Nato members are pledging to spend 5 per cent of their GDP (gross domestic product) on defence, even Germany," Mr Hegseth said.

"How can it make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies and partners in Asia spend far less in the face of a far more formidable threat from communist China, not to mention North Korea?" the former Fox News presenter added.

The US defence chief invoked comparisons between President Donald Trump's approach towards the Indo-Pacific and Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew's famed pragmatism, "shaped by a preference for engaging on the basis of commerce and sovereignty — not war".

"These two historic men share a willingness to challenge old ways of doing things that no longer make sense. Under President Trump's leadership, we are applying this common sense approach here in the Indo-Pacific and throughout the world."