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Hegseth Reassures Asian Allies in Meetings at Tokyo and the Philippines but Skips South Korea

The trip was clearly intended to remove recurring questions on Taiwan, for which Congress last year approved the sale of $1 billion in arms and equipment.

AP/Gerard V. Carreon
Defense Secretary Hegseth, along with Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner, salute the troops upon arriving at the AFP headquarters Camp Aguinaldo, in Quezon City, Philippines, March 28, 2025. AP/Gerard V. Carreon
DONALD KIRK
DONALD KIRK

SEOUL — Defense Secretary Hegseth is leaving no doubt about it: President Trump is as firmly “committed” as was President Biden to the defense of America’s Asian allies — and also the free island province of Taiwan that China’s President Xi has vowed to recover by 2027.

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DONALD KIRK
DONALD KIRK

Mr. Kirk, based in Seoul and Washington, has been covering Asia for decades for newspapers and magazines and is the author of books on Korea, the Vietnam War and the Philippines.

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