As Hegseth visits Manila, Beijing warns outsiders against meddling in South China Sea

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‘Those who willingly become pawns will inevitably be discarded,’ Chen Xiaodong, foreign vice-minister, tells Boao Forum panel

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US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth (left) and Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner salute on arriving at Camp Aguinaldo in Manila on Friday. Photo: AFP

Meredith Chenin Boao

Published: 5:09pm, 28 Mar 2025Updated: 6:23pm, 28 Mar 2025

Beijing officials have warned “outside forces” not to meddle in the South China Sea and said disputes should be resolved through direct negotiations – hours before US defence chief Pete Hegseth arrived in the Philippines.

“The South China Sea issue must be resolved without external interference and should not be exploited by outside forces. Those who willingly become pawns will inevitably be discarded,” Chen Xiaodong, China’s vice-minister of foreign affairs, said on Thursday, without naming the US or its treaty ally the Philippines.

Chen’s remarks during a panel discussion at the Boao Forum for Asia – an annual gathering of high-level officials, academics and business executives in southern China – preceded Hegseth’s arrival in Manila on Thursday evening, his first trip to Asia since taking office.

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US officials accidentally share Yemen war plans with journalist in apparent security breach

The US Department of Defence said Hegseth would be seeking to advance security objectives with Philippine leaders, and he was expected to meet US and Philippine forces.

On Friday, Hegseth told Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr that deterrence was needed against China in the region.

“Friends need to stand shoulder to shoulder to deter conflict, to ensure that there is free navigation, whether you call it the South China Sea or the West Philippine Sea,” he said.

Asked to comment on the remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said the US should stop stirring up trouble in the South China Sea and sewing discord in the region.