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US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday announced a landmark defense deal aimed at strengthening security ties with India while speaking with his Asian counterparts in Malaysia.
Hegseth also met the Defense Minister of India Rajnath Singh And they signed a 10-year defense framework aimed at expanding military and technological cooperation.
Washington has long been trying to develop a deeper partnership New DelhiWhich is being seen as a strong weapon against China. India is a major defense partner of the US and in recent years has inducted advanced American jets, helicopters, missiles and military gear into its armed forces.
“It furthers our defense partnership, which is a cornerstone of regional stability and deterrence,” Hegseth wrote on X. “Our defense ties have never been stronger.”
Singh said the US-India partnership is critical to ensuring a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region. “This is a sign of our growing strategic convergence and will usher in a new decade of partnership,” he said at the conference.
The framework agreement comes amid renewed tension in bilateral relations after President donald trump In August it imposed 50 percent import duties on Indian goods and criticized New Delhi for continuing to buy subsidized Russian oil. India is the second largest buyer of Russian oil after China.
hegseth His meeting with Chinese Admiral Dong Jun was described as “good and constructive” Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ meeting kuala lumpur,
He said he raised US concerns over Chinese activities in the South China Sea taiwan and to U.S. allies and partners in the region.
He said this during a conversation with his Chinese counterpart malaysia He Washington India will “firmly defend” its interests in the Pacific region.
“I highlighted the importance of maintaining the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth wrote on the social media platform X.
China’s Defense Ministry issued a cautious response emphasizing its long-term position. Dong Jun stressed that the reunification of China and Taiwan is an “unstoppable historical trend” and urged the US to be cautious in its words and actions on the Taiwan issue, the statement said.
“We hope the United States will translate its statements of not controlling and not confronting China into action and will work with China to bring positive energy to regional and global peace and security,” the statement said.
Their meeting follows a September 9 video call between Hegseth and Dong and reflects ongoing efforts to manage tensions in the Indo-Pacific, even as strategic differences, particularly over Taiwan and freedom of navigation, remain apparent.
Hegseth also interacted with his Malaysian and philippines Counterparts… They reaffirmed the commitment to maritime security in the South China Sea and said the US will “continue to work to reestablish deterrence in the South China Sea.”
Malaysia has protested before too Chinese ships encroach into its waters, but generally prefers quiet diplomacy. This is in contrast to the neighboring Philippines, which has had major confrontations with China at sea in recent years. China claims virtually the entire South China Sea, which matches claims made by countries including Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Asked to comment on US President Trump’s plan to resume nuclear weapons testing for the first time in three decades, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohd Khalid Nordin told a news conference later on Friday that ASEAN is a nuclear weapons-free zone area and “we try to avoid anything that could bring major disaster to mankind.” He did not elaborate.
Separately, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Horn said some ASEAN members may seek more information from Hegseth about the US nuclear test at an ASEAN-US meeting planned for Saturday.
He said, “For the safety and security of the world, I think it is important … to see that the world should never see another nuclear weapon used.”
Trump made the comment on social media Thursday, saying it would be on an “equal basis” with Russia and China. There was no indication the US would begin detonating weapons, but Trump offered few details about a significant shift in US policy.
ASEAN defense ministers will continue talks on Saturday with dialogue partners including the United States, China, Japan, India, Australia, South Korea and Russia.