Hegseth sounds alarm over China's buildup, urges allies to boost defence spend

Arms sales decision to Taiwan is Trump's call

In his speech, Hegseth made no mention of Taiwan, a hotspot in relations between the US and China.

When asked about arms sales to the island during questions that followed, Hegseth downplayed concerns that a multi-billion-dollar package could be affected as the United States draws down its weapons stockpiles amid the Middle East conflict. "We feel very good about our stockpiles and how we use them," he said.

Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has been waiting for the US to approve an arms sale that Reuters ​reported could be worth up to $14 billion.

Trump sowed uncertainty in Taipei by saying, after meeting ​China's President Xi Jinping this month, that he was undecided on whether to approve the package.

Any decision on future arms sales would rest with President Trump, Hegseth said, signalling no shift in Washington’s longstanding approach despite recent engagement with Beijing.

"Those decisions will depend on the president and the nature of that relationship," Hegseth said. "There’s been no change in our status."

(Reporting by Gregor Stuart Hunter, Rae Wee and Jun Yuan Yong; Additional reporting by Claire Fu and Xinghui Kok; Editing by Greg Torode, Shri Navaratnam and Raju Gopalakrishnan)