In response to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth calling the Asian power a “threat to the region” at a summit in Singapore, China called out the US, saying, “Don’t play with fire” over the Taiwan issue. Speaking at the Shangri-La dialogue, Hegseth mentioned that China is preparing for an invasion of Taiwan by practising military actions in the South China Sea.
China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, and any movement to liberate Taiwan from China as a secessionist movement. Taiwan’s government, however, rejects China’s claims and says that only the island’s people can decide their future.
China’s remark was a reaction to the provocation of Hegseth’s statement, and Beijing described US actions in the Asia Pacific as turning the region into a “powder keg”. Beijing also accused Hegseth of “vilifying China with defamatory allegations” and promoting a “Cold War mentality. Hegseth was calling out the threat in the region, making it clear that China was the issue in the Asia Pacific.
The US has also constantly claimed China as a threat to maritime navigation, fueling regional disputes, interfering with territorial rights and not following international law.
The high-level security dialogue was also supposed to be attended by China’s defence minister, but Beijing has withheld from sending any high official this time.
The remarks and statements from both countries come at a time when China has conducted military patrols in the contested regions of the South China Sea. The Philippines had taken China’s action as a threat to its own movement in the South China Sea. A few days back, two Philippine research vessels collecting sand samples from the disputed islands were rammed by a Chinese Coast Guard vessel, creating much tension between both nations. Both nations blamed one another and described that each acted even after being given a warning.
Tensions between China and the US are already high following Trump’s unilateral increase in tariffs, which led to China reciprocating by increasing tariffs.
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