US to Resolutely Safeguard Indo-Pacific Interests, Hegseth Tells Chinese Counterpart

The discussion touched on regional issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea, according to China’s readout.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth waits to greet Singaporean Minister for Defense Chan Chun Sing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 9, 2025. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

The United States doesn’t seek conflicts with communist China but will resolutely safeguard its interests in the Indo-Pacific region, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in a meeting on Sept. 9.

Hegseth made clear that the United States “does not seek conflict with China nor is it pursuing regime change or strangulation of the PRC,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said in a statement, using the acronym of the communist regime’s official name, People’s Republic of China.