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Over the weekend, Pete Hegseth issued a warning about China's 'imminent' threat to Taiwan, and China has since responded.
US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth warned that China is an 'imminent' threat to Taiwan and cautioned against any escalation in the area.
Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday (May 31), Hegseth argued that China was hoping to 'dominate' parts of Asia and would be stepping on the toes of US allies to do so.
Hegseth further claimed that China was aiming to become a 'hegemonic power' that 'hopes to dominate and control too many parts' of Asia, which, according to the BBC, is a concern shared by many Asian countries if China decides to invade Taiwan, which is a self-governing region claimed by the People's Republic of China (PRC).
The US Secretary of Defense said that Beijing is 'credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power' and is 'building the military needed to do it, training for it, every day and rehearsing for the real deal'.
He even went as far as to reference an alleged deadline from President Xi Jinping for 2027 to allow the Chinese military to be ready to invade Taiwan; however, while US officials and generals have repeatedly mentioned this claim for a while, Beijing has never confirmed it, the BBC reports.
While adding that the US doesn't seek to 'dominate or strangle China', Hegseth said they must 'ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners'.
"Let me be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world." he continued. "There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent. We hope not but certainly could be."
China has since promptly responded to these claims in a series of posts on the Chinese Embassy in Singapore's Facebook page.
They described Hegseth's speech as being 'steeped in provocations and instigation', and claimed he had 'repeatedly smeared and attacked China and relentlessly played up the so-called 'China threat'.
The post continued: "As a matter of fact, the US itself is the biggest 'troublemaker' for regional peace and stability."
They also dismissed Hegseth's claims that China aspires to be a 'hegemonic power', adding in another post: "No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific."
The statement goes to detail examples such as the US having 'deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea' and conducting 'close-up reconnaissance on Chinese islands and reefs'.
They also claimed that the 'Taiwan question' is 'entirely China's internal affair' and 'no country is in a position to interfere'.
"What the US now offers the most to the world is 'uncertainty. The country claims to safeguard peace and not to seek conflicts. We've heard it. Let's see what moves will it take." the statement concluded.