SINGAPORE — U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stood before defense leaders from across Asia and delivered a blunt message. China’s military expansion has triggered rightful alarm. Allies must step up. No more freeloading on American protection. The remarks came at the Shangri-La Dialogue. Asia’s top security gathering. Hegseth’s tone mixed urgency with measured diplomacy. He praised improving communication channels with Beijing. Yet he left no doubt about the stakes. A Pacific dominated by any single power would unravel everything. “There is rightful alarm regarding China’s historic military buildup and the expansion of its military activities in the region and beyond,” Hegseth said. Reuters reported the full speech . He added that Washington seeks “a favorable but durable balance of power in which no state, including China, can impose its hegemony.” Short. Direct. The kind of language that lands in boardrooms and war rooms alike. This wasn’t abstract strategy talk. Hegseth tied it to concrete demands.…