China accuses US's Hegseth of 'vilifying' remarks at security forum
BEIJING, June 1 (Reuters) - China has protested to the United States over "vilifying" remarks made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, while accusing it of deliberately ignoring calls for peace from regional nations.
China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as "deplorable" and "intended to sow division".
"Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat'," the ministry said on its website.
Hegseth had called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to spend more on defence after warning of the "real and potentially imminent" threat from China.
"The United States has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg," the ministry added in the statement.
As part of Washington's longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the U.S. military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the island of Luzon.
China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands and atolls in the South China Sea, with growing maritime run-ins between their coast guards as both vie to patrol the waters.
The ministry also warned the United States not to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question.
In his speech at Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, military officials and diplomats, Hegseth said any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences".
China has vowed to "reunify" with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
China commerce ministry to join govt crackdown on intense auto competition
BEIJING, June 5 (Reuters) - China's commerce ministry said on Thursday that it would collaborate with other government departments to step up rectification of the excessive competition in the auto market. The ministry will strengthen compliance guidance to ensure fair market competition and promote healthy industry development, commerce ministry spokesperson He Yongqian said. Auto industry associations, research institutions and companies attended a meeting recently organised by the ministry, He said, without elaborating. The ministry scheduled a meeting last week with industry bodies and automakers including BYD ( opens new tab and Dongfeng Motor ( opens new tab to discuss increasing sales of "used cars" that were never driven, Reuters reported. The industry ministry and the China Association of Auto Manufacturers called for a halt to the industry's bruising price wars over the weekend.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS NATO nations must spend 5% GDP on defence and end 'reliance' on US to defend them, Pete Hegseth tells meeting of alliance chiefs
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Thursday told NATO allies they could not depend solely on Washington for defence, as he urged them to agree a spending deal of five percent of GDP. 'Our message is going to continue to be clear. It's deterrence and peace through strength, but it can't be reliance,' Hegseth said at a meeting with NATO counterparts in Brussels. 'It cannot and will not be reliance on America in a world of a lot of threats.'
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
Philippines, U.S., hold joint maritime drills for seventh time
MANILA, June 5 (Reuters) - The Philippines and United States militaries have sailed together in the South China Sea for a seventh time to boost interoperability between the two sides, Manila's armed forces said on Thursday. The exercises, held on Wednesday in waters off the provinces of Occidental Mindoro and Zambales and away from contested features, included joint operations near shorelines as well as fire support. "The MCA (maritime cooperative activity) is a demonstration of both nations' resolve to deepen cooperation and enhance interoperability in line with international law," the Philippine armed forces said in a statement. The joint sail also showcased the Philippine vessel Miguel Malvar, a 118-metre guided missile frigate commissioned last month. It is one of two corvettes built by South Korea's Hyundai Heavy Industries ( opens new tab under the Philippines' military modernisation programme. Military engagements between the treaty allies have soared under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington in response to China's growing presence in the South China Sea. China claims sovereignty over nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
