Chinese officials accused U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth of deliberately attempting to "sow division" in the region after he described the country as an "imminent threat" during a defense conference in Singapore.
"There's no reason to sugar coat it," Hegseth declared during his keynote address at the Shangri-la Dialogue Defense Forum on Saturday, per The Guardian. "The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent."
Hegseth stated China was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific." He also accused the nation of rehearsing for "the real deal" of invading Taiwan.
China's ministry of foreign affairs released a follow-up statement on Sunday. In it, they accused Hegseth of delivering a speech that was "filled with provocations and intended to sow division." They also said he is "playing with fire" by calling attention to "the Taiwan question," The Guardian reported.
"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 statement read.
The Chinese officials said the country "deplores and firmly opposes" Hegseth's remarks, adding that they have "protested strongly to the U.S."
"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 continued.
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