SINGAPORE: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was \u201ccredibly preparing\u201d to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was \u201chere to stay\u201d in the Indo-Pacific region.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Since taking office in January, 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,\u201d Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue attended by defense officials from around the world.<\/p>\n
Beijing is \u201ccredibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Hegseth warned the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and \u201crehearsing for the real deal.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The United States was \u201creorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China,\u201d Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defenses in the face of mounting threats.<\/p>\n
Hegseth described China\u2019s conduct as a \u201cwake-up call,\u201d accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyberattacks, harassing its neighbors, and \u201cillegally seizing and militarizing lands\u201d in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n
Beijing claims almost the entire disputed waterway, through which more than 60 percent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.<\/p>\n
It has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, with the flashpoint set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defense forum, according to US officials.<\/p>\n
As Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China\u2019s military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine \u201ccombat readiness patrols\u201d around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines.<\/p>\n
\u201cChina\u2019s assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years,\u201d Casey Mace, charge d\u2019affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, told journalists ahead of the meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beijing has not sent any top defense ministry officials to the summit, dispatching a delegation from the People\u2019s Liberation Army National Defense University instead.<\/p>\n
Hegseth\u2019s hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference.<\/p>\n
Da Wei, director of the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University told reporters the speech was \u201cvery unfriendly\u201d and \u201cvery confrontational,\u201d accusing Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbors while bullying its own \u2013 including Canada and Greenland.<\/p>\n
Former Senior Col. Zhou Bo, from the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University said that training drills did not mean China would invade Taiwan, saying the government wanted \u201cpeaceful reunification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hegseth\u2019s comments came after Trump stoked new trade tensions with China, arguing that Beijing had \u201cviolated\u201d a deal to de-escalate tariffs as the two sides appeared deadlocked in negotiations.<\/p>\n
The world\u2019s two biggest economies had agreed to temporarily lower eye-watering tariffs they had imposed on each other, pausing them for 90 days.<\/p>\n
Reassuring US allies on Saturday, Hegseth said the Indo-Pacific was \u201cAmerica\u2019s priority theater,\u201d pledging to ensure \u201cChina cannot dominate us \u2013 or our allies and partners.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the United States had stepped up cooperation with allies including the Philippines and Japan, and reiterated Trump\u2019s vow that \u201cChina will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he called on US partners in the region to ramp up spending on their militaries and \u201cquickly upgrade their own defenses.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAsian allies should look to countries in Europe for a newfound example,\u201d Hegseth said, citing pledges by NATO members including Germany to move toward Trump\u2019s spending target of five percent of GDP.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeterrence doesn\u2019t come on the cheap.\u201d<\/p>\n
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, also in Singapore, said the Trump administration\u2019s \u201ctough love\u201d had helped push the continent to beef up its defenses.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s love nonetheless, so it\u2019s better than no love,\u201d Kallas quipped when asked about Hegseth\u2019s speech.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SINGAPORE: US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned Saturday that China was \u201ccredibly preparing\u201d to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia, vowing the United States was \u201chere to stay\u201d in the Indo-Pacific region. The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as the administration of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":482021,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-481993","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n