THE HALFAX HEIMDALL AUGUR

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

How US defence chief Hegseth softened his tone towards China after Trump-Xi meeting US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth softened his tone towards China in his speech on Saturday to the Shangri-La defence forum compared with the previous year. Speaking two weeks after the meeting between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in Beijing, Hegseth also adopted a cautious stance on US arms sales to Taiwan when questioned about the highly sensitive issue and did not mention the island at all in his speech. Although he still criticised China’s military build-up, unlike last year he did...

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

Hegseth dials back rhetoric concerning China during a security forum in Singapore, emphasizing strategic stability. Following a recent summit between Trump and Xi Jinping, defense secretrary prioritizes bilateral cooperation over previous warnings about military threats.

Hegseth tones down China rhetoric on return to Asia US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth told Asia’s biggest military conference that his country’s relations with China were “better than they’ve been in many years”, as he adopted a much less strident tone than at the same event 12 months ago. “President Trump and this administration seek a stable peace, fair trade and respectful relations with China,” Hegseth said on Saturday at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. The two countries agreed to “build a constructive relationship of strategic...

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…

Does Pete Hegseth’s volte-face on China reflect an America in decline? Listening to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I thought of the iconic Sichuan opera act of face-changing, where performers switch masks in an instant. Last year, Hegseth’s speech at the event was filled with blatant attacks on China. This year, he put on a completely different face, declaring that: “Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years.” Why this...

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washingtons Indo-Pacific approach is changing and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US ha…

RT.com11 Jun 2026, 03:33 GMT+10 Washington's Indo-Pacific approach is changing - and Beijing may find parts of it surprisingly acceptable The absence of China's top military leadership from this year's Shangri-La Dialogue - a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific - prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet the more important development took place away from the conference hall. Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition. Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump's second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth's speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach. Hegseth argued that the US…