As China’s communist regime continues its aggressive pattern of military activities and territorial expansion in the Pacific theater and the Arctic region, the U.S. is signaling that it will remain firm in defending the interests and security of its regional allies despite the ongoing war with Iran. Experts say significant challenges lie ahead as China and Russia deepen ties to oppose the West.

On Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth met with several U.S. allies in Asia at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers’ summit in the Philippines, remarking that the U.S. remains committed to fulfilling its “global obligations.” “Just because we’re dealing with Iran never having a nuclear weapon, or just because we’re dealing with drug cartels in our own backyard, doesn’t mean our gaze is not on the recognition of the historic military buildup that the Chinese are undertaking,” he emphasized.

Hegseth met with counterparts from Japan, Australia, and the Philippines to discuss regional security in the areas surrounding the First Island Chain, which makes up a strategic series of major Pacific archipelagos stretching between the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines to Japan. He also met with officials from South Korea, India, Vietnam, Singapore, and Malaysia.

The meetings come at a volatile moment in the South China Sea, as China has attempted to claim the disputed Scarborough Reef as its territory, an area that is claimed by both Beijing and the Philippines that lies within the exclusive economic zone of Manila. Chinese naval ships have conducted drills surrounding the reef in attempts to intimidate the smaller country and have also fired water cannons at Philippine fishing vessels to drive them away from the territory.

In addition, Xi Jinping’s regime is claiming other large swaths of territory in the sea that lie in international waters, forcing countries in the region to seek Beijing’s approval to build and maintain vital underwater fiber-optic internet cables in violation of international laws, according to reports earlier this month.

“The security situation there is deteriorating … because Beijing has been challenging countries, most notably the Philippines in the South China Sea,” Gordon Chang, author and distinguished senior fellow at the Gatestone Institute, explained during “Washington Watch” Wednesday. “And there have been some very belligerent, very provocative activities over the last couple of years. … [T]his as part of a Chinese plan to challenge its neighbors, and it’s not just the Philippines — it’s Vietnam in the South China Sea, Japan in the East China Sea, and of course, Taiwan, where both the East China Sea and the South China Sea join. So this is a general part plan of Xi Jinping … to make life difficult for his neighbors. And we are seeing these countries are now starting to band together because they realize they’ve got a common enemy.”

Chang further observed that all free countries in Southeast Asia must remain united in order to deter China from dominating the region. “The most important relationship is Japan and India, which are the two heavyweights on China’s periphery. They’re working very closely together, and that is giving comfort to countries like the Philippines, where Japan has been reaching out. And Japan has also been reaching out to Taiwan, so this is a good news story. Now, all of this is made possible by American leadership, and it’s really important for the secretary of War to be at this regional meeting of ASEAN to show that the United States stands behind peace and stability in the region.”

But as Chang went on to note, the Arctic region has become another area of great concern for the U.S. as China and Russia pursue a “no limits” partnership to counter American influence.

“[I]n 2024, you had joint bomber patrols between Chinese and Russian aircraft, and the Chinese actually took off from Russian fields,” he detailed. “Last year, there was a Chinese ‘research submarine’ that went under Arctic ice for the first time. Really, that was an attempt to, I think, map the seabed because they want Chinese missile subs there to be able to hit the United States with a lot less warning. … All of this occurs at the same time that the Arctic ice cap is receding, which means you have ships thinking of taking what’s called the Northern Sea Route across the north coast of Russia to connect Asia and Europe. And this is going to be important because we’re seeing so much more Chinese and Russian activities there.”

“And by the way,” Chang added, “the U.S. Navy does not have a base in Alaska, which means we are really at a very big disadvantage. And our Coast Guard forces there, they’re not doing very well either. So President Trump has been bulking that up, and that’s a great move.”

Another area of concern are signs that Canada may be currying favor with the communist regime, Chang pointed out. “[Canada] is thinking of hosting more Chinese activities in its Arctic [region because it] can’t defend [it]. It relies on the United States. But right now, we have this spat between Ottawa and Washington, and the Chinese are cozying up and trying to take advantage of that. So we have these long stretches of territory, both Alaska and the Canadian Northwest, where we really [are] very stretched thin … and it doesn’t help that we have this disagreement right now, which is really encouraging Canada to move closer to China.”