Defense Chiefs of Japan, U.S., Australia, Philippines Express ‘Serious Concern’ about China’s Destabilizing Actions

By Hirotaka Kuriyama and Shinji Abe Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers

17:04 JST, June 1, 2025

SINGAPORE — The defense chiefs of Japan, the United States, Australia and the Philippines expressed “serious concern” about China’s continued unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in the East and South China Seas, during their meeting in Singapore on Saturday.

The meeting, which lasted for about 50 minutes, was attended by Defense Minister Gen Nakatani, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro.

The four chiefs agreed to hold ministerial-level defense talks on a regular basis to strengthen cooperation between their countries.

It was the third ministerial-level defense meeting between the four countries, with the previous one taking place in Hawaii in May last year, and the first under the second administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

At the beginning of the talks, Nakatani called for stronger four-way cooperation between the countries, citing China’s intensification of its activities in the East and South China Seas. Hegseth said the four countries need to stand together to seek peace amid China’s unprecedented military buildup.

After the meeting, the chiefs issued a joint statement that underscored the four countries’ “sustained and significant collaboration to advance a shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific.”

The statement specified four areas for future collaboration: synchronizing priority defense investments, enhancing information-sharing, strengthening cybersecurity and increasing operational coordination and interoperability. The defense chiefs affirmed in the statement that their countries would work together to improve their maritime and air domain awareness while also exploring the planning of joint intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance activities in the East and South China Seas.

Japan, the United States and Australia also held a trilateral defense chief meeting on the day and agreed to strengthen operational coordination between their command centers.