(31 May 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Singapore – 31 May 2025
++SOUNDBITES SEPARATED BY BLACK FRAMES++
1. Wide of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth walking to podium
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
"We are also increasing security in the Western Hemisphere, and taking back the Panama Canal from malign Chinese influence. It is key terrain after all. China did not build that canal, we did. And we will not allow China to weaponize it or control it. Deterrence starts in our own backyard. But beyond our borders and beyond our neighborhood, we are reorienting toward deterring aggression by Communist China."
++BLACK FRAMES++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
"Let me begin by saying we do not seek conflict with Communist China. We will not instigate nor seek to subjugate or humiliate. President Trump and the American people have an immense respect for the Chinese people and their civilization. But we will not be pushed out of this critical region, and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated. China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia. No doubt. It hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region. Through its massive military buildup and growing willingness to use military force to achieve its goals including gray-zone tactics and hybrid warfare. China has demonstrated that it wants to fundamentally alter the region’s status quo. We cannot look away and we cannot ignore it."
++BLACK FRAMES++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
"China’s behavior toward its neighbors and the world is a wake up call. And an urgent one. China uses its vast and sophisticated cyber capabilities to steal technology and attack critical infrastructure in your countries and in the United States, as well. These actions not only compromise our countries, but endanger the lives of our citizens. In the South China Sea, China harasses its neighbors, many of which are here in the room today. China seeks to intimidate you in your own waters."
++BLACK FRAMES++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:
"Again, to be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent, we hope not. But it certainly could be. Facing these threats we know that many countries are tempted by the idea of seeking both economic cooperation with China and defense cooperation with the United States. Now, that is a geographic necessity for many. But beware of the leverage that the CCP seeks with that entanglement. Economic dependance on China only deepens their malign influence and complicates our defense decision space during times of tension."
6. Wide of room
STORYLINE:
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific on Saturday that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressures from China.
"The threat China poses is real," Hegseth said while speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference hosted by the International Institute for Security Studies.
He said Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan.
China has conducted numerous exercises to test what a blockade would look like of the self-governing island, which Beijing claims as its own and the U.S. has pledged to defend.
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