Hegseth: US will stand by Indo-Pacific allies against ‘imminent’ China threat

US defence Secretary Pete Hegseth delivers his speech during the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue summit in Singapore (Anupam Nath/AP)

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China, while insisting that they also contribute more to their own defence.

He said Washington will bolster its defences overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance towards Taiwan.