Pentagon chief warns China 'preparing' to use military force in Asia
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was "credibly preparing" to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was "here to stay" in the Indo-Pacific region.
The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of US President Donald Trump spars with Beijing on trade, technology, and influence over strategic corners of the globe.
Since taking office in January, Trump has launched a trade war with China, sought to curb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing.
"The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent," Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defence officials from around the world.
Beijing is "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific", he added.
Hegseth warned the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and "rehearsing for the real deal".
Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion.
The United States was "reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China", Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats.
- 'Wake-up call'
Hegseth described China's conduct as a "wake-up call", accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber attacks, harassing its neighbours, and "illegally seizing and militarising lands" in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entire disputed waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.
It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defence forum, according to US officials.
As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China's military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine "combat readiness patrols" around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines.
"China's assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years," Casey Mace, charge d'affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, told journalists ahead of the meeting.
"I think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that."
Beijing has not sent any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University instead.
Hegseth's hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference.
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told reporters the speech was "very unfriendly" and "very confrontational", accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbours while bullying its own -- including Canada and Greenland.
Former Senior Colonel Zhou Bo, from the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told AFP that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted "peaceful reunification".
Hegseth's comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had "violated" a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations.
The world's two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days.
But on Friday, Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: "China, perhaps not surprisingly to some, HAS TOTALLY VIOLATED ITS AGREEMENT WITH US", without providing details.
'Priority theatre'
Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Indo-Pacific was "America's priority theatre", pledging to ensure "China cannot dominate us -- or our allies and partners".
He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump's vow that "China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch".
But he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and "quickly upgrade their own defences".
"Asian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example," Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump's spending target of five percent of GDP.
"Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap."
Originally published on France24
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
6 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Serbia's protesting students rally across the country to mark 7 months since train station tragedy
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Thousands of people on Sunday vowed to keep on fighting for justice and rule of law in Serbia as they demanded that President Aleksandar Vucic call a snap parliamentary election following months of persistent demonstrations that have challenged his firm grip on power in the Balkan country. Protesters led by university students blocked bridges in the capital Belgrade and rallied in 30 other Serbian cities and towns as they also marked exactly seven months since a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in the north, killing 16 people and sparking the massive wave of anti-corruption protests. 'The whole of Serbia has risen,' protesting students said in a speech that was read at all the rallies at the same time. 'There will be no more silence, there will be no more surrender!' Many people in Serbia believe that the deadly Nov. 1 canopy collapse in Novi Sad was the result of flawed renovation work on the station building, and they link the disaster to alleged government corruption in major infrastructure projects with Chinese state companies. Vucic, whom critics have accused of imposing authoritarian rule in Serbia since coming to power over a decade ago, initially dismissed the possibility of holding early elections but on Friday suggested they could take place, though without saying exactly when. Sunday's protests included commemoration ceremonies for the victims of the Novi Sad crash and student marches and blockades. In Belgrade, crowds halted traffic at two key bridges over the Sava River for three hours, while protesters in Novi Sad carried a white wreath for the canopy collapse victims as they walked toward the crash site. Mina Miletic, from Belgrade, said she is encouraged by so many people fighting together for the same goal: 'The rule of law and life in a decent country.' Vucic has accused the protesters of working for unspecified Western powers to 'destroy Serbia.' Pro-government media on Sunday described the blockades in Belgrade as 'terror' and alleged falsely that 'only a handful' of people joined the rallies. Most media in Serbia are controlled by the ruling populists, often lashing out at government opponents and accusing them of anti-state activities. The student movement is seeking a snap vote, arguing that the current government cannot meet their demands for justice for the crash victims. Presidential and parliamentary elections are otherwise due some time in 2027. No one has been sentenced in connection with the tragedy in Novi Sad and doubts prevail that ongoing legal proceedings will uncover the alleged corruption behind the crash. Serbia is formally seeking European Union entry but the ruling populists have been accused of clamping down on democratic freedoms, including free media. Vucic's authorities have stepped up pressure on protesters, including police detentions, intimidation and physical attacks.
Globe and Mail
12 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
China says U.S. Defense Secretary is touting a Cold War mentality in calling the country a threat
China on Sunday denounced U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for calling the Asian country a threat, accusing him of touting a Cold War mentality as tensions between Washington and Beijing further escalate. The foreign ministry said Hegseth vilified Beijing with defamatory allegations the previous day at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference. The statement also accused the United States of inciting conflict and confrontation in the region. 'Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation,' it said, referring to the post-Second World War rivalry between the U.S. and the former Soviet Union. 'No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself,' it said, alleging that Washington is also undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific. Hegseth said in Singapore on Saturday that Washington will bolster its defenses overseas to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly developing threats by Beijing, particularly in its aggressive stance toward Taiwan. China's army 'is rehearsing for the real deal,' Hegseth said. 'We are not going to sugarcoat it – the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.' The Chinese statement said the matter of Taiwan is China's internal affair and that the U.S. should 'never play with fire' with it. The statement also alleged Washington had deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea, was 'stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific' and 'turning the region into a powder keg.' Spokesperson Zhang Xiaogang of China's defense ministry called Hegseth's comments a provocation and said they distorted China's policy positions. The U.S. and China had reached a deal last month to cut U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs from 145% to 30% for 90 days, creating time for negotiators from both sides to reach a more substantive agreement. China also reduced its taxes on U.S. goods from 125% to 10%. But it's uncertain if a trade war truce will last. Trump in a social media post on Friday said he would no longer be 'nice' with China when it comes to trade and accused Beijing of breaking an unspecified agreement with the U.S. Tensions escalated anew after the U.S. said on Wednesday it would start revoking visas for Chinese students studying there. At the Singapore forum on Sunday, Philippines Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro scoffed at the idea that the U.S. was the problem. The Philippines has been involved in increasingly violent clashes with China over competing claims in the South China Sea. Teodoro said what the Chinese government saw as fair might be contrary to the norms accepted by the rest of the world. The Chinese Embassy in Singapore in separate Facebook posts described Teodoro's remarks as 'groundless accusations' and argued that the South China Sea Islands are China's inherent territories. The 'troublemaker' is not China, it said, and cited what it said were recent illegal intrusions by the Philippines into the waters adjacent to two reefs. 'Some outside power' was posing the biggest threat to peace with the deployment of offensive weapons and roping in allies for frequent military drills, it said, without naming anyone. 'Which country is coercing and bullying others, and instigating conflicts and confrontation in the South China Sea? The answer is clear to all,' it said. Separately, the Chinese Embassy in Singapore on Saturday criticized attempts to link the issue of Taiwan with that of the war in Ukraine after French President Emmanuel Macron warned of a dangerous double standard in focusing on a potential conflict with China at the cost of abandoning Ukraine. The embassy did not name Macron in its post on Facebook, but the post included a photo showing the French president at the Singapore forum. 'If one tries to denounce 'double standards' through the lens of a double standard, the only result we can get is still double standard,' it said. China, which usually sends its defense minister to the Shangri-La forum, this time sent a lower-level delegation led by Maj. Gen. Hu Gangfeng, the vice president of the People's Liberation Army National Defense University.
Toronto Star
13 hours ago
- Toronto Star
China says Hegseth is touting a Cold War mentality in calling the country a threat
BEIJING (AP) — China on Sunday denounced U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for calling the Asian country a threat, accusing him of touting a Cold War mentality as tensions between Washington and Beijing further escalate. The foreign ministry said Hegseth vilified Beijing with defamatory allegations the previous day at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference. The statement also accused the United States of inciting conflict and confrontation in the region.
