China has issued a sharp rebuke to the United States, accusing it of embracing a “Cold War mentality” after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that America is prepared to go to war to prevent China from dominating the Indo-Pacific region.
In a statement released Sunday, a spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry condemned Hegseth’s remarks made during his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday.
“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,’” the spokesperson said.
“The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.” Hegseth, speaking at the annual summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies, declared the Indo-Pacific region to be the U.S.’s “priority theater,” asserting that Washington would not allow China to displace America and its allies from the region.
In response, China accused the U.S. of hypocrisy, saying: “No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself.” The ministry claimed Washington’s policies were intensifying regional instability.
“To perpetuate its hegemony and advance the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy,’ the U.S. has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg,” the spokesperson added.
Hegseth also warned that China was “preparing to use military force” to alter the regional balance of power and hinted that the United States would defend Taiwan if Beijing launched an attack.
The longstanding dispute over Taiwan remains central to U.S.-China tensions. The island, which China views as a breakaway province, has been self-governed since 1949, when the Republic of China retreated there following defeat by the Chinese Communist Party in the civil war. Though the U.S. does not officially recognize Taiwan as an independent state, it maintains robust unofficial ties and arms sales.
“The Taiwan question is entirely China’s internal affair. No country is in a position to interfere,” the Foreign Ministry said. “The U.S. must never play with fire on this question.” Tensions between the U.S. and China have intensified since 2022, following then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan.
The Biden administration’s engagement in the region was marked by increased military drills. Under President Donald Trump’s renewed leadership, these tensions have escalated further, with heightened trade disputes and military cooperation with allies like Japan, Australia, and the Philippines. As both superpowers continue to vie for influence, China has made clear it sees Taiwan as a red line—and warns the U.S. not to cross it.