China has issued a sharp rebuke to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth following his remarks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, where he warned of an “imminent threat” from China and highlighted concerns over Taiwan and the South China Sea. (Related: Pentagon Chief Warns of Imminent China Threat, Urges Asian Allies to Boost Defense Spending)
In a statement released by the Foreign Ministry on June 1, Beijing condemned Hegseth’s speech as “filled with provocations” and driven by a “Cold War mentality,” accusing the U.S. of being the real hegemonic force destabilising the Asia-Pacific region.
“No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself,” the statement read. “To perpetuate its hegemony, the U.S. has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and keeps stoking flames.”
China strongly rejected Hegseth’s comments on Taiwan, reiterating that the issue is an internal matter and warning the U.S. against using it as leverage. “The U.S. must never play with fire on this question,” the spokesperson stated, urging Washington to stop emboldening “Taiwan independence” forces.
Beijing also dismissed Hegseth’s claims about maritime tensions in the South China Sea, insisting that “freedom of navigation and overflight has never been a problem” and accusing the U.S. of being the “primary factor” behind instability in the region.
The strongly worded response comes amid rising U.S.-China tensions and signals Beijing’s growing frustration with the Trump administration’s more aggressive Indo-Pacific strategy. China called on the U.S. to “stop inciting conflict and confrontation” and to “respect the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace.”
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