Shangri-La Dialogue: Hegseth tells allies to up defence spending, citing alarm over China's build-up

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth delivered his speech during the first plenary session at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue on Saturday (May 30). In his speech, Hegseth asked that US allies and partners “contribute to the shared goal of peace and stability”, and that they commit 3.5% of their GDP to defence spending. "For too long, the security of this region has rested disproportionately on American military power. While many of our allies and partners allowed their own defence capabilities to atrophy, that's a bad deal for the American taxpayer, and it's an unsustainable crutch for our allies and partners," he said. He also spoke about China, saying there is rightful alarm regarding China's historic military build-up and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Visit our website: https://cna.asia Download our app: https://cna.asia/app Get our editors' picks of stories via chat apps: Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp: https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us on these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia