Pentagon chief urges closer ties with Vietnam amid prolonged arms supply talks

November 2, 2025 6:37 PM

Pentagon chief urges closer ties with Vietnam amid prolonged arms supply talks

The United States wants deeper military ties with Vietnam, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday at the start of a visit to Hanoi, amid prolonged talks for the potential supply of military equipment to Washington's former foe. The Southeast Asian nation, which relies heavily on Russian weapons, has been looking to diversify its arsenal for years. Talks with the United States, which lifted an arms embargo in 2016, gained momentum during the Biden administration but have not yet yiel...

Hegseth says US ready to share tools to help allies counter ‘aggressive’ China

November 2, 2025 12:10 PM

Hegseth says US ready to share tools to help allies counter ‘aggressive’ China

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth on Saturday took aim at Beijing over an increase in "destabilising actions" in the South China Sea and committed to support Southeast Asian countries with technology to help them respond jointly to Chinese threats. On a second day in Kuala Lumpur packed with meetings that included multilateral talks with allies Australia, Japan and the Philippines, Hegseth proposed to ASEAN defence ministers the building of shared maritime domain awareness and said China had shown a ...