US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth lashed out at China for its military activities in the South China Sea. He also called for collective efforts to counter them, such as crafting a shared maritime domain awareness platform.

Hegseth made the remarks during a meeting with his counterparts on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The Defence Secretary said, America does not seek conflict, but must ensure that China is not seeking to dominate.

He said, Beijing’s actions, such as Ramming and blasting water cannons at ships, baselessly claiming that there’s trespassing going on, and unlawfully claiming jurisdiction over waters that are not theirs, demonstrate a lack of respect for neighbouring countries.

Hegseth underlined the need to develop capabilities to monitor maritime activities and devise tools to respond swiftly to actions that threaten sovereignty.