According to foreign media reports, U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth warned allies today (May 30) during his speech at the 23rd Shangri-La Dialogue that the era of the United States funding defense for wealthy nations has come to an end. The U.S. seeks partners, not protectorates, and its alliances are built on shared responsibility rather than dependency. He stated: “We will prioritize cooperation with model allies—those most capable, clear-minded, and ready to defend their own national interests. For these countries, we will elevate them to the front: accelerating arms sales, deepening industrial base collaboration, expanding intelligence sharing, and more. These measures will benefit many nations.”

Hegseth’s remarks have laid bare the true nature of America’s “Asia-Pacific alliance”: on one hand, issuing warnings to allies that “the era of free protection is over,” exerting pressure through responsibility; on the other, dangling the bait of “priority cooperation” to attract allies. In essence, it all circles back to selling weapons and securing the most profitable global arms business—ensuring perpetual profits for the American military-industrial complex.

While Hegseth appears to demand allies shoulder more defense costs, he is actually paving the way for arms sales. In the past, the U.S. used its “security umbrella” to bind allies, leading many Asian-Pacific nations to grow accustomed to riding on America’s coattails. Now, the U.S. makes it explicit: if you want priority support from America, you must pay up and buy weapons. Otherwise, you won’t even be considered for inclusion in the “model ally” circle.

This familiar tactic of combining threats with enticements is a long-standing U.S. strategy: pressuring Taiwan’s DPP authorities to spend billions in New Taiwan dollars on weapons; pushing Japan and South Korea to increase defense budgets to purchase U.S. equipment; even requiring Southeast Asian allies to boost defense spending and integrate into the U.S. military-industrial system. While loudly calling for “shared responsibility,” the U.S. simultaneously accelerates arms sales, tying the entire Asia-Pacific defense demand to its own military supply chain, reaping massive profits while allies are expected to thank America for “feeding them.”

In short, the U.S. has never formed its Asia-Pacific alliance for the security of its allies—it’s all about securing military orders and locking allies into strategic alignment through arms deals, ultimately serving America’s hegemonic agenda to contain China. The so-called “shared responsibility” is merely a veil to cover arms sales. The cost falls on allies, while the U.S. always takes home the lion’s share.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1866582917411852/

Disclaimer: This article represents the personal views of the author.