China slams Hegseth speech, accuses US of seeking to use Taiwan issue as 'leverage' against Beijing
"The US should never imagine it could use the Taiwan question as leverage against China," said a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson in a statement issued early Sunday morning (Jun 1). "The US must never play with fire on this question."
The statement was a direct response to Mr Hegseth's speech delivered on Saturday morning at Asia's premier defence summit in Singapore, in which he warned that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force and urged regional allies to increase defence spending. "The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Hegseth said.
China, in turn, accused the US of escalating tensions and undermining peace in the region. "No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the US itself," the foreign ministry said, pointing to American deployments in the South China Sea and its Indo-Pacific strategy as destabilising moves that have turned the region into a "powder keg".
It also reiterated that the Taiwan issue is purely China's internal affair, calling on Washington to cease support for "Taiwan independence" forces and fully adhere to the One-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques.
Hegseth's address marked his first appearance at the Shangri-La Dialogue as defence secretary under the Trump administration. He warned that any attempt by Beijing to seize Taiwan would have "devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world," echoing President Donald Trump's assertion that China would not invade Taiwan "on his watch."
In a separate panel on Saturday afternoon, China's representative Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng rejected what he described as "groundless accusations" made by other speakers at the forum, calling them "politically motivated" and aimed at provoking conflict.
Hu, leading a delegation from the PLA's National Defense University, criticised foreign military deployments near China's waters and reiterated Beijing's opposition to "unilateralism" and "hegemonic bullying".
The foreign ministry's statement struck a similar tone, describing Hegseth's speech as filled with "provocations" and warning that Washington's actions are "deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region".
On the South China Sea, China said there was "no problem" with freedom of navigation and accused the US of being the true disruptor. "China has always been committed to dialogue and consultation," the statement said, while asserting its sovereignty over contested maritime areas.
China did not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to this year's forum, the first time since 2019 that Beijing will not be represented by its defence chief.
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