'US undermining stability in the Asia-Pacific": China slams Hegseth for comment 'Beijing is preparing to invade Taiwan'

A day after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth urged its allies in Asia to boost defence spending as China was “credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific”, Beijing protested against U.S for calling China a threat.

The Chinese foreign ministry on Sunday (June 1) accused Hegseth of ignoring the call for peace from regional countries and touting the Cold War mentality.

Urging the U.S. to stop inciting conflict and confrontation in the region, the ministry said, "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."

What Pete Hegseth said

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defense forum, in Singapore on Saturday (May 31) Hegseth said “There is no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent," adding “Beijing is credibly preparing potentially to use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific.”

He stressed that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) forces are training daily to take military action against Taiwan, the democratic island of 23 million people that it claims as its own part.

He also said that the Chinese premier Xi Jinping has ordered his military to make preparations for an invasion of Taiwan by 2027.

“The PLA is building the military needed to do it, training for it every day and rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth said.

Raising the alarm, Hegseth urged Asian countries to boost their defence spending to 5% of gross domestic product, on the lines of NATO allies.

“So it doesn’t make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies in Asia spend less on defense in the face of an even more formidable threat, not to mention North Korea,” he said.

Hegseth also acknowledged the the Chinese threat can not be fought alone and it requires all its allies to stand up to Beijing for which defence spending has to be increased.

“China’s behavior towards its neighbors and the world is a wake-up call. And an urgent one,” the US defense chief further said, adding “We ask – and indeed, we insist – that our allies and partners do their part on defense."

He also urged his partners in the region to stand against Beijing on the Taiwan issue and other regional disputes like the the South China Sea.