Pete Hegseth, U.S. Secretary of Defense, will discuss Washington's commitments to the Pacific region and answer questions from Southeast Asian officials at the ASEAN summit taking place on October 28 in Cebu, Philippines. This summit is being held as tensions with China and the Iran war have posed new challenges to U.S. military security.
Impact of the Iran War on Regional Security
The U.S. Department of Defense has emphasized that Hegseth's presence at this summit is to reaffirm Washington's commitment to "peace through strength" in the Pacific. Analysts believe that Southeast Asian countries may use this opportunity to clarify U.S. expectations of its allies and partners, as well as raise questions about the implications of the Iran war on regional security cooperation.
Collin Koh, a security researcher at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, stated, "They want to ask the U.S. about assurances regarding alliances and partnerships. And of course, the main issue is how these align with U.S. commitments to the Pacific region or the Western Pacific theater."
Economic Challenges Amid the Iran War
Southeast Asian economies are currently grappling with the repercussions of the Iran war, while tensions between the Philippines and China have also impacted this summit. The Iran war, which began on February 28 with military strikes from the U.S. and Israel, has disrupted transportation and oil markets, revealing Southeast Asia's vulnerability to shocks from imported fuels.
Greg Poling, director of the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, stated that Hegseth will have the opportunity to address topics such as China, the South China Sea, and U.S. commitments to its treaty allies at this summit. He added, "Most people want reassurance of U.S. commitment to the region, despite the political turmoil in Washington and the reduced capabilities and readiness of the U.S. due to the war in Iran."
Issues such as security cooperation, energy connectivity, and the digital economy are among the important matters that the Philippines must address during its chairmanship of ASEAN. Given the tensions with China and stalled progress on the South China Sea code of conduct, the country must strike a balance between "idealistic cooperation" and existing challenges.
In the days leading up to the summit, the Philippine military announced that it had monitored and tracked the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning passing through the southern waters of the Philippines towards the Sulu Sea. Additionally, a Chinese defense representative will also be present at this summit.
