China's former Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai reacts to Pete Hegseth's Shangri-La Dialogue speech

CNA's Olivia Siong asked China's former Vice Foreign Minister and former ambassador to the US Cui Tiankai what he thought of US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's speech. Hegseth had demanded that US partners and allies boost their defence spending, citing "rightful alarm" over China's military build-up in the Asia-Pacific region. "We have a longstanding position on such military alliances. They should not be directed against any third party, certainly not China. So, how the US shares the burden with its allies is their business," said Mr Cui. "What is important for us is the purpose, the mission, the goal of such alliances. They should not try to challenge the legitimate interests of other countries." 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