Lyle Goldstein
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth took a trip across the Pacific recently and it came at an uncertain time.
This awkward situation is due to the Signal chat controversy that’s engulfed Washington but also as many allies in the Asia-Pacific are concerned about their relationship with the US. Following Hegseth’s trip, China launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan, underscoring the tensions which characterize this region.
Hegseth visited Hawaii, Guam and Japan, but his most significant stop was the Philippines, a country that has experienced very significant tensions with China in recent years.
That’s especially true of contested claims in the South China Sea, a domain of growing military rivalry that encompasses a variety of issues, including maritime law, crowded sea lanes, drilling for hydrocarbon resources, fisheries, large new Chinese “reef bases” and even the deployment of nuclear weapons.
The key to understanding this volatile issue is to comprehend the overlap between the South China Sea and the Taiwan question.
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