US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has claimed that China is preparing for a potential invasion of Taiwan as he pushed allies in the Asia-Pacific region to spend more on their own defence needs.
Hegseth, speaking for the first time at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, militaries and diplomats, laid out how the Asia-Pacific region was a priority for the Trump administration.
"There's no reason to sugar coat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent," Hegseth said, in some of his strongest comments on Beijing since he took office in January.
He added that any attempt by China to take over Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world", and echoed Trump's comment that China will not invade Taiwan on the president's watch.
"It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific," Hegseth said.
But his comments on allies needing to increase spending are likely to cause consternation amongst partners, even though experts said Hegseth would face a relatively friendly audience in Singapore.
Beijing has touted the organisation as the world's first intergovernmental legal organisation for resolving disputes through mediation.
China states that Taiwan is a breakaway province and has vowed to "reunify" it with the mainland, using force if necessary. It refers to Taiwan's people as "residents."
It has stepped up military and political pressure to assert those claims, including increasing the intensity of war games around the island.
While Taiwan has its own government, military and currency, it has never declared formal independence from mainland China.
The United States switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but has remained Taiwan's biggest arms supplier.
Washington opposes Taiwan independence and any attempt by China to forcibly take the island.
"It's public that Xi has ordered his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027. The PLA is building the military to do it, training for it every day, and rehearsing for the real deal," the Pentagon chief said in Singapore, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping and the People's Liberation Army.
China's Defence Minister Dong Jun has decided to skip the major Asian security forum and Beijing has sent only an academic delegation.
Hegseth has previously taken aim at allies in Europe for not spending more on their own defence. In February, he warned Europe against treating America like a "sucker" while addressing a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
