Who is the 'real, imminent threat' in the Asia-Pacific?

Editor's note: Azhar Azam, a special commentator for CGTN, works for a private organization as a market and business analyst. He writes on geopolitical affairs and regional conflicts. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

On Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth used Shangri-La Dialogue – a high-level multilateral platform for exchanging views and promoting cooperation among defense officials on regional security – to stoke instability by imploring Asia-Pacific countries to boost defense spending, allowing Washington to make the region a U.S. "priority theater," and portraying China as a threat.

His address once again revealed a marked difference between the approaches of two major global powers, the U.S. and China, toward peace and stability. Beijing has consistently stated that cooperation benefits both sides while confrontation harms the two countries, that it will safeguard multilateralism and is committed to building a peaceful world. 

On Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Hegseth's speech, saying that "China urges the U.S. to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region."

In recent years, the U.S. has sought to reconstruct its "hub-and-spoke" model, centered on bilateral security arrangements, to assemble an integrated and interconnected network of mini-lateral alliances such as the Quad and AUKUS to counter what it perceives as growing Chinese diplomatic and military influence. Hegseth's address and meeting with ASEAN defense ministers focused on advancing this U.S. conflict-laden agenda in the region.

Moreover, as U.S. President Donald Trump is intimidating America's neighbors with his expansionist plans and threatening to suppress ASEAN's economy with unilateral tariffs, Hegseth's claim at Shangri-La Dialogue that Washington "shares a vision of peace and stability, of prosperity and security" with the Asia-Pacific seems untenable. 

The track record of the U.S.-centered alliances in destabilizing regions – rather than delivering stability and establishing deterrence – is remarkable. From foreign invasions and interventions to arms sales and fabricated groupings, America has been fueling conflicts and undermining regional peace. With Washington increasingly seen as a "protection racket" by its own allies, the country's reliability as a credible security provider is blowing to bits.

America's military alliances and actions of arming the regional countries could stoke an arms race in the Asia-Pacific with AUKUS risking nuclear proliferation, becoming a major source of insecurity and undermining peace and stability of one of the world's most economically vibrant regions.

The U.S. Department of Defense annual report 2024 also accused Chinese officials of running "information operations and disinformation campaign to mischaracterize AUKUS as a vehicle for nuclear proliferation and threat to regional stability" and attempted to trivialize the significance of the Global Security Initiative (GSI), contending it didn't "articulate" a framework or mechanism. 

The foreign ministers of Malaysia and Indonesia, as well as a growing chorus of other countries in the Pacific, have openly sounded the alarm on the nuclear pact and the risk of arms race and nuclear proliferation. Since the release of the GSI, China has deepened cooperation in international peacemaking, counterterrorism, climate change, disaster prevention and combating transnational crime. It has also promoted security-related exchanges under existing frameworks such as the Group of 20, Shanghai Cooperation Organization and East Asia and Lancang-Mekong Cooperation. The support of 120 countries and international organizations demonstrates the GSI is committed to its core principles of comprehensive security, adhering to the Charter of the United Nations and pursuing conflict resolution through dialogue.

Growing uncertainty around Trump's policies is drawing a wave of reconciliation in the region as exemplified by the recent ASEAN-GCC-China Summit in Kuala Lumpur this May and the 11th China-Japan-ROK Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Tokyo this March. Tokyo's and Seoul's endorsement to promote "future-oriented cooperation" and respond "jointly" to shared international challenges unveiled a distinct intent to increase understanding, protect livelihoods and tackle common threats.

As major international powers, China and the U.S. bear the responsibility to stabilize their economic relationship to deliver benefits to both peoples and support the wider global economy. They both also have a substantial interest in boosting military ties to strengthen global security and thwart shared threats such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation, transnational crimes, drug trafficking and climate change.

If the U.S. doesn't really believe in bullying and coercion, deems itself a Pacific power and is committed to regional peace and prosperity, then it should stop paddling false narratives about China, respect the Asian country's territorial integrity and deepen strategic engagement with Beijing to prevent the region from tipping into an endless arms race. Only then can America claim to be a guarantor of regional peace.

The shared commitment of China and the U.S. to an improved military-to-military relationship has historically resulted in an agreement to work together on settlement of conflicts that contribute to regional and global instability, counter-piracy operations, natural disasters and threats of nuclear terrorism with cooperation expanding to law enforcement, counter-narcotics, counterterrorism and combating cybercrime.

As the U.S. ditches cooperation for strategic competition with China, this shift of focus weakens efforts to build a joint response against global challenges and strengthens transnational organized crime that thrives in destabilized regions.

Should Washington alter its perception of Beijing and make military ties a stabilizing force in their bilateral relationship, China and the U.S. not only can prevent an unintended escalation but also coordinate on shared challenges and pool their resources to promote peace and common development.

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