US, China Resume Military Channels; Hegseth Pushes Allies

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth began a regional tour with a visit to the Korean DMZ and is set to co-chair the annual Security Consultative Meeting with South Korea to discuss readiness against a nuclear-armed North Korea, cybersecurity, missile defense and plans to make U.S. forces in Korea more operationally flexible. At the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Malaysia he urged Southeast Asian states to strengthen maritime forces to deter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea and welcomed an upcoming ASEAN‑U.S. maritime exercise to boost interoperability. On the sidelines Hegseth and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun agreed to revive military‑to‑military channels to “deconflict and deescalate,” a step Hegseth framed as evidence of improved U.S.-China ties after the Trump–Xi summit, though analysts cautioned reopening lines is only an initial step toward building trust. Hegseth then traveled to Hanoi to press for deeper defense cooperation and possible U.S. arms sales as Vietnam seeks to diversify suppliers, noting past U.S. deliveries such as coastguard cutters and T‑6 trainers. Washington and Hanoi also emphasized advancing security cooperation, defence‑industry ties and post‑war recovery efforts — including remains recovery and environmental cleanup — as part of a broader push to strengthen alliances and deterrence amid rising regional tensions.