Defense chiefs from ASEAN and its eight dialogue partners—including the US, China, Russia, Japan, and South Korea—met in Kuala Lumpur on Saturday for the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The forum focused on joint efforts to promote peace amid challenges such as China’s growing assertiveness, North Korean military threats, and cybersecurity.
The chair, Malaysian Defense Minister Mohamed Khaled Nordin, called for “unity and cooperation” and “adherence to international law.” He stressed that transnational challenges, ranging from cyber-attacks to the climate crisis, demand “urgent action.” Nordin emphasized that the ASEAN region must remain a “zone of peace, freedom and neutrality” and “not a stage for strategic rivalry,” underlining the importance of “ASEAN centrality.”
On Friday, ahead of the forum, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first in-person talks with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun. Hegseth voiced “serious” concerns over China’s maritime activities in the region, reiterating that the U.S. “does not seek conflict” but will “stoutly” safeguard its interests.
https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20251101002700315?section=national/diplomacy
