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Hegseth's divided remarks — hailing relations as 'never better' while hyping 'China threat' to ASEAN members — show complex nature of US-China ties: expert

Global Times

By Liu Caiyu Published: Nov 02, 2025 10:36 PM

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made remarks that appear inconsistent within just two days. In his latest post on Sunday, he hailed China-US relations as "never better." Yet just a day earlier, the US official accused China of engaging in "destabilizing actions" in the South China Sea and urged Southeast Asian nations to counter Beijing during a meeting in Malaysia with counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Experts said Hegseth's divided remarks reflect the complex nature of the US-China relations, while urging the US official to return to the consensus reached by the leaders of the two countries and refrain from sowing discord in the region.

In the post on X on Sunday, Hegseth firstly wrote that he had spoken to President Trump, and agreed that "the relationship between the United States and China has never been better."

He called back his meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in Malaysia on Friday as "equally positive," and then he wrote that he had spoken again with Dong on Saturday night - which the Chinese side has yet released any information.

Hegseth revealed that, during Saturday's night call with Dong, the two agreed to "set up military-to-military channels to deconflict and deescalate any problems that arise."

In a sharp contrast to the rhetoric in his X post, Hegseth on Saturday took aim at Beijing over what he called an increase in "destabilizing action" in the South China Sea and hyped the so-called "China threats" in front of ASEAN member countries, according to Reuters report.

A Reuters report said that Hegseth also proposed to ASEAN defense ministers in Malaysia the development of so-called "shared maritime domain awareness" network and alleged China had shown a lack of respect and threatened their territorial sovereignty.

Unlike his X post, Hegseth's remarks to ASEAN defense ministers was inconsistent in tone with a meeting between the heads of states of China and the US in South Korea. President Trump said on Sunday that his meeting with the Chinese leader was "a great one" and would bring lasting peace and success for both nations.

"As a follower of Trump, Hegseth has to closely align with whatever stance Trump takes. However, when he speaks on behalf of the Department of Defense, he adopts the department's inherently confrontational tone," Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Sunday.

Li believed that Hegseth's address to ASEAN members was essentially putting narrow departmental interests ahead of regional stability.

Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Studies at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said the inconsistent remarks from US Defense Secretary shows the fact that the relationship among major countries is inherently complex, involving competition, cooperation and communication.

"We have to be clear and rational that the US objective and strategy of leveraging maritime dominance to contain China remain unchanged, though its specific tactics and methods may adjust according to the evolving situation," Ding further said in an interview with the Global Times.

Speaking to ASEAN nations, Hegseth's confrontational rhetoric aimed to show that the US is still maintaining its military hegemony, dominance over rules, and discourse power in the region, Ding explained.

Unable to offer ASEAN countries appealing ideas, initiatives, or projects to maintain its position, yet still attempting to keep them aligned, the US exploits maritime issues to sow discord and amplify the "China threat" narrative, Ding told the Global Times.

On Friday, Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met with Hegseth on the sidelines of the 12th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

During their meeting, Dong said the defense departments of both countries should take concrete actions to implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and work toward a military-to-military relationship based on equality and respect, peaceful coexistence, and stable, positive development.

Dong expressed hope that the US will honor its commitment not to seek to contain China nor to pursue conflict, take a clear stance against "Taiwan independence," and work with China to inject positive energy into regional and global peace and security.

The region welcomes peace and stability and rejects the influence of those who promote belligerence and a Cold War mentality, Li said.

Li noted Hegseth should return to the China-US consensus and the constructive direction set by Trump, and cease sowing discord and confrontation in the Asia-Pacific.