China has warned the US that it “should not play with fire” concerning Taiwan and said it lodged “representations” with Washington for remarks by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at an annual security summit in Singapore.
“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,” a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on Sunday.
Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue warned that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia.
He also accused the Chinese military of building capabilities to invade Taiwan and “rehearsing for the real deal”.
China is “strongly” dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to Hegseth’s remarks and has made “solemn representations” to the US, it said. “In fact, the US is the world’s true hegemonic power and the biggest factor undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”
“In order to maintain its hegemony and advance the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific Strategy’, the US has deployed offensive weapons in the South China Sea, stoked tensions, and created instability—turning the region into a ‘powder keg’ and arousing deep concern among regional countries,” the Foreign Ministry added.
Hegseth warns that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and "rehearsing for the real deal".
South China Sea
The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair, and no foreign country has the right to interfere, it maintained. “The US should not entertain illusions about using the Taiwan question as a bargaining chip to contain China, nor should it play with fire.”
China considers Taiwan its breakaway province, whereas Taipei insists on its independence.
Beijing said that there has “never” been a problem with freedom of navigation or overflight in the South China Sea.
China has always insisted on addressing differences with relevant countries through dialogue and consultation, and on safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with law, according to the statement.
“The US is the biggest factor undermining peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
Beijing urged Washington to “genuinely” respect the efforts of regional countries to “maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately undermining the region’s peaceful environment, refrain from exaggerating conflicts and confrontation, and avoid further exacerbating tensions”.
