4 days ago
China blasts Hegseth, says U.S. sowing discord in Asia
Senior military officials from various countries talk in a cafe of the hotel where the Shangri-La Dialogue is held in Singapore on June 1. (Kazuhiro Nagashima)
SINGAPORE—Beijing fiercely criticized U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth for calling China a 'threat,' arguing that the U.S. government is the one undermining peace and security in Asia.
'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,'' China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement released on June 1.
'The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.,' it said.
Hegseth made the speech on May 31 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, an Asian defense conference in Singapore that was organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies and supported by The Asahi Shimbun and others.
The conference closed on June 1.
In his speech, the U.S. defense chief stressed the 'military threat' posed by China and frequently referred to the Chinese side as 'Communist China' to emphasize the difference in political systems.
He asserted that China is trying to gain hegemony in Asia.
Hegseth also said the United States does not want war with China, but that it will re-establish deterrence.
China's statement countered: 'No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.'
Hegseth's speech heightened concerns in Southeast Asia over the widening gap between the United States and China.
A Chinese scholar familiar with U.S.-China relations said Hegseth's speech clearly emphasized the U.S. stance in the Indo-Pacific region but raised other questions.
Hegseth called for countries in the region to believe in the United States and spend more on defense as Europeans countries do.
'But isn't U.S. credibility declining in Europe?' the scholar asked.
Zack Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute think tank, commended Hegseth's speech as reassuring but said the references to China were too confrontational.
And while the contents of Hegseth's speech may have been acceptable in Washington, they were not necessarily supported in Southeast Asia, where the conference was held, Cooper said.
Phumtham Wechayachai, deputy prime minister and defense minister of Thailand, took the stage at the conference on June 1 and called for an easing of tensions through dialogue and other means, saying: 'Thailand stands firm on neutrality. We are friends to all.'
A major focus of the conference was the U.S.-China relationship concerning trade and security.
But China did not dispatch its defense minister to the conference. An expected U.S.-China meeting did not take place, and opportunities for communication were very limited.
(This article was written by Sotaro Hata, and correspondents Ryo Kiyomiya and Takashi Ishihara.)
