Manila [Philippines], March 28 (ANI): The US military is 'posturing forward' in the Indo-Pacific area, including the Philippines, to reinforce deterrence amid rising regional tensions due to Beijing's assertiveness in the South China Sea (SCS), stated the Pentagon chief on Wednesday, as reported by Inquirer.net.

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth made a stop in Hawaii to converse with officials from the Indo-Pacific Command before heading to the Philippines and Japan later this week, according to Inquirer.Net.

Hegseth described his trip to Asia as 'a reflection of America's commitment to the Indo-Pacific and the Trump administration's emphasis on ensuring we are doing all we can to deter conflict with the communist Chinese.'

'We do not seek conflict at all, but we will remain firm in deterrence and will deploy troops forward; that is the reason we are visiting Guam, our allies in Japan, and the Philippines,' he mentioned. 'We are posturing forward, engaging and communicating with commanders who can comprehend the AOR (area of responsibility), speaking with friends and allies,' he continued, as reported by Inquirer.Net.

Hegseth is scheduled to arrive in the Philippines on Friday for discussions with President Marcos and Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

'Reestablishing deterrence is part of what President Trump has instructed me, driven me to do... Reinstituting deterrence is a significant part of our purpose here,' he stated, as noted by Inquirer.Net.

Inquirer.Net highlighted that, according to him, his visit to Asia would 'showcase the pivot that President Trump is making towards the Indo-Pacific, ensuring we are adequately focusing and prioritizing our efforts.'

Over the weekend that Manila and Washington would explore methods to enhance current partnerships during Hegseth's visit.

Earlier, Philippine authorities revealed the capture of six Chinese nationals and one Filipino, who were suspected of spying on US and Philippine navy ships near the entrance of the strategically important Subic Bay, as reported by Radio Free Asia. (ANI)