Latest news with #NationalDefenceUniversity
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On Cam: After Hegseth's 'Humiliate, Subjugate…' Warning, China's Panicky Reaction Taiwan Trump
Big war of words between China and the United States. A Chinese defence official reacted to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks regarding threats from Beijing. Hu Gangfeng, Vice President of China's National Defence University, accused Hegseth of making 'groundless accusations' at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He said Hegseth's actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division, and stir up confrontation to destabilise the Asia-Pacific region. The US Defence Secretary had reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China. Watch this video to know more.
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
'Russia-Ukraine war has blurred regional lines, exposing global threats'
China and North Korea's support for Russia in its war against Ukraine has exposed how lines between regions have blurred, and the need for a global approach toward defence, top security officials said Sunday. North Korea has sent troops to fight on the front lines in Ukraine, while China has supported Russia economically and technologically while opposing international sanctions. Lithuanian Defence Minister Dovile akaliene told delegates at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premiere defence forum, that if Ukraine were to fall, it would have a ripple effect in Asia and suggested it could embolden China in its territorial claims on Taiwan and virtually the entire South China Sea. If Russia prevails in Ukraine, it's not about Europe. It's not about one region," she said. It will send a very clear signal also to smaller states here in Indo-Pacific that anyone can ignore their borders, that any fabricated excuse can justify invasion. The comments echoed those from French President Emmanuel Macron as he opened the conference on Friday advocating for greater European engagement in the Indo-Pacific. On Saturday, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth suggested European countries should focus their defence efforts in their own region and leave the Indo-Pacific more to the US, but akaliene said the regions were clearly intertwined. It's not a secret that when we talk about the main perpetrators in cyber security against Japan it's China, Russia and North Korea, she said. When we talk about main cyber security perpetrators against Lithuania it's Russia, China and Belarus two out of the three are absolutely the same. She added that the convergence of Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea into an increasingly coordinated authoritarian axis, demands a unified response. Iran has been a key supplier of attack drones to Russia for its war effort. "In this context, the United States' strategic focus on Indo-Pacific is both justified and necessary, but this is not America's responsibility alone, she said. Australian Defence Minister Richard Marles told reporters on the sidelines that his main takeaway from the three-day conference, hosted by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, was the real intent in the way in which European countries have engaged in the debates. It reflects the sense of connection, interconnectedness ... between Indo-Pacific on the one hand and the North Atlantic on the other, he said. China sent a lower-level delegation from its National Defence University this year to the conference, but its Foreign Ministry on Sunday responded to comments from Hegseth that Beijing was destabilizing the region and preparing to possibly seize Taiwan by force. No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the US itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific, it said, while reiterating its stance that the Taiwan issue was an internal Chinese matter. The US must neve play with fire on this question, the ministry said. Philippines Defence Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr, whose country has been involved in increasingly violent clashes with China over competing claims in the South China Sea, scoffed at the idea that the US was the problem. What the Chinese government considers fair and just may stand in stark contrast to the norms and values accepted by the rest of the world, especially the smaller countries, he said. "To envision a China-led international order, we only need to look at how they treat their much smaller neighbors in the South China Sea. He also underscored the international implications of the tensions in the Indo-Pacific, noting that the South China Sea was one of several maritime routes that are arteries of the global economy. Disruption in any of these maritime corridors triggers ripple effects across continents, impacting trade flows, military deployments, and diplomatic posture, he said. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
HKFP
a day ago
- Politics
- HKFP
China is ‘preparing' to use military force in Asia, US says
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth on Saturday warned that China was 'credibly preparing' to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia — remarks that earned a sharp rebuke from Beijing. The Pentagon chief was speaking 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. China's foreign ministry blasted the speech, saying it had 'lodged solemn representations with the US side' over Hegseth's comments and taking particular exception to his remarks about Taiwan. Trump has launched a trade war with China since taking office in January, 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 said. Hegseth warned that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and 'rehearsing for the real deal'. China has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held large-scale exercises around the self-governed democratic island that are 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. In Beijing, the foreign ministry said: 'The US should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to contain China and must not play with fire.' 'Stirring up trouble' 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 disputed South China Sea. Beijing claims almost the entire 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 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. Beijing did not send any top defence ministry officials to the summit, dispatching instead a delegation from the People's Liberation Army National Defence University led by Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng. Without referring to Hegseth by name, Hu said of his speech that 'these actions are essentially about stirring up trouble, creating division, inciting confrontation, and destabilising the Asia-Pacific'. 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. 'Cannot dominate' Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Asia-Pacific region 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'. However, 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 towards Trump's defence spending target of five percent of GDP. 'Deterrence doesn't come on the cheap.'
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
On Cam: China's First, Scared Reaction After Hegseth's Open Warning On Asian Soil Trump Taiwan
A Chinese defence official reacted to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's remarks regarding threats from Beijing. China's representative at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore accused Hegseth of making 'groundless accusations'. Hu Gangfeng, Vice President of China's National Defence University, said that Hegseth's actions are nothing more than attempts to provoke trouble, incite division and stir up confrontation to destabilise the Asia-Pacific region. The US Defence Secretary had reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China. Watch this video to know more.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Pentagon chief warns China 'preparing' to use military force in Asia
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned 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, Mr 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," Mr 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. Mr 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' Mr Hegseth described China's conduct as a "wake-up call", accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyberattacks, 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% 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 Mr 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. Mr Hegseth's hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference. Da Wei, director of the Centre 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 said that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted "peaceful reunification". Mr Hegseth's comments came after Mr 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. 'Priority theatre' Mr 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 Mr 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," Mr 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." US 'tough love' on defence better than no love - Kallas EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, also in Singapore, said the Trump adminstration's "tough love" had helped push the continent to beef up its defences. "It's love nonetheless, so it's better than no love," Ms Kallas quipped when asked about Mr Hegseth's speech. The EU's relationship with the US was not broken, Ms Kallas stressed, saying she spoke to Ms Hegseth yesterday. "You heard his speech. He was actually quite positive about Europe, so there's definitely some love there," she said. Mr Trump has consistently pressed NATO countries to increase defence spending, asking for as much as 5% of GDP and saying Washington will no longer tolerate freeloaders. Ms Kallas said: "There are different countries in Europe and some of us have realised a long time ago that we need to invest in defence." "The European Union has shifted gear and reimagined our own paradigm as a peace project backed up with hard defence," she said. "It is a good thing we are doing more, but what I want to stress is that the security of Europe and the security of the Pacific is very much interlinked," she added. Ms Kallas pointed to Ukraine, where North Korean soldiers were already operating and China was providing military hardware to Russia. "There were some very strong messages in the US secretary of defense speech regarding China," Ms Kallas said. "I think again, if you are worried about China, you should be worried about Russia," she said. Ms Kallas said the EU wanted to build "partnerships in our mutual interest" in the Indo-Pacific region, including in the field of defence and economy. But the EU was also bringing economic power to the table, she said. Ms Kallas disagreed with suggestions that the US should focus on the Indo-Pacific region and Europe concentrate on its own patch. "I really think if you look at the economic might of China, I think... the big countries or the superpowers sometimes overestimate their own strength," she said. China's economic dominance could only be tackled together with "like-minded partners like the United States, like the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea... and Singapore," said Ms Kallas.
