Pentagon Chief Raises Concerns Over CCP’s Military Activities Around Taiwan

The United States will ‘continue to stoutly defend its interests’ in the Indo-Pacific and ’ensure it has the capabilities in the region to do so,' Hegseth said.

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (C) leaves after attending a bilateral meeting and the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MOU) on defense cooperation between Malaysia and the United States, in Kuala Lumpur on Oct. 30, 2025. Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images

U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Oct. 31 raised concerns about Chinese military activities around Taiwan and in the South China Sea during his first in-person meeting with Chinese Defense Minister Adm. Dong Jun.

The meeting in Malaysia, where defense chiefs from Southeast Asia gathered for a summit, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea.