Asia Defense | Security | Southeast Asia

China’s Military Build-up Has Created ‘Pressure’ in Southeast Asia, Australian Defense Chief Says

His comments came as Beijing accused Manila of obstructing its attendance at this week’s ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles takes part in the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Cebu, Philippines, Oct. 30. 2026.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said yesterday that China’s military build-up was creating a “condition of pressure” in Southeast Asia, as China and the Philippines sparred over Beijing’s attendance at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense summit in Cebu.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus), Marles described China’s military build-up as “the biggest conventional military build-up” since World War II.

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