Hegseth heads for Manila defence talks as US seeks to reassure Asia-Pacific partners
South China Sea disputes and US commitment to the region expected to dominate ASEAN meeting
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel to Manila this week for the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus, joining counterparts from India, South Korea and Japan as Washington seeks to shore up ties with the Asia-Pacific region after a year of fallout from the US-Israel war on Iran and rising maritime tensions with China.