When pressed on the thorny matter, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth offered a quick zinger. He was here at Asia’s preeminent security forum to talk “tanks, not tariffs.” Concerns over the White House’s protectionism and its impacts on a region knitted together by trade were,

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan, while urging Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war.

The assessment is a major departure for the U.S. government, and it came with a nudge that nations must choose between Washington and Beijing.