KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday urged Southeast Asian nations to stand firm and strengthen their maritime forces to counter China’s increasingly “destabilizing” actions in the South China Sea.

Speaking at a meeting in Malaysia with his counterparts from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Hegseth reiterated U.S. concern over what he called China’s aggression in the disputed waters that intensified in recent months, citing incidents such as ramming of vessels and the use of water cannons.

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