The Chinese government accused Pete Hegseth of trying to “sow seeds” in the Asia-Pacific region during a speech at Singapore's defense conference, warning that China could be an “imminent” threat.
On Saturday, Heggs said China was “reliably ready to use military power to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific” and rehearsed for the “real deal” of invasion of Taiwan.
“There is no reason to add sugar to it,” the Secretary of Defense said in a keynote speech at the Shangri-La La Dialogue Defense Forum.
On Sunday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry condemned his words and said it was “full of provocation and aimed at sowing the seeds.”
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“Hergs deliberately ignored the calls from the country in the region for peace and development, but instead touted the Cold War mentality to compete for the group and insult China with defamatory accusations, and mistakenly called China a “threat.”
“These remarks are full of provocations and are intended to sow seeds. China regrets and firmly opposes them and protests strongly to the United States.”
The statement also delayed Hergs' claim that China is trying to become a “hegemonic power” in the region.
It said: “No country in the world except the United States itself should be called hegemonic power, which is also the main factor in undermining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.”
The ministry accused Hegseth of “playing with fire” using the so-called “Taiwan issue”. China's ruling Communist Party (CCP) claims that Taiwan is a province in China, run illegally by separatists and vows to annex it. Taiwan’s democratically elected government and its majority of people reject the prospect of CCP rule.
Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles told reporters on Sunday morning that he rejected the premise of China's criticism of Heggs.
“What we have seen from China since the end of World War II is that, in a traditional sense, the largest increase in military capacity and establishment,” he said.
“This is one of the key features of the strategic landscape complexity that all of us face within the region and around the world.”
Mars said Australia had worked with regional partners, including the United States and the Philippines, to “maintain orders based on global rules for a long time,” including Navigation Action, in an advocacy for the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The United States is not a signatory to the Convention.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is an annual meeting that hosts three days of panel discussions and speeches, hosting dozens of leaders, defense ministers and military leaders from around the world. However, many important interactions took place on the field, with private meetings held between representatives. The U.S. and China trade barbs have been seen frequently in the past few years, but there have been occasional important meetings, including last year with Chinese Defense Secretary Dong Jun and predecessor Lloyd Austin.
However, this year, China has sent only one delegation later by the Vice-President of the People's Liberation Army, Adm Hu Gangfeng.
Hu told a group on Saturday afternoon that included the head of the British armed forces, speakers attempting to “provoke, split and inspire confrontation in the region” and were criticized by China.
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The maritime situation in the region is “usually stable” but faces “serious challenges” and accused the unnamed countries of increasing military stance and infringement of others’ territorial sovereignty “in the name of so-called freedom of navigation” and supporting “Taiwan independence separatist forces.”
China claims to be in much of the South China Sea, where there are overlapping claims of sovereignty among several countries. It rejected The Hague's ruling that its claims were illegal.
Later on Sunday, Singapore’s Defense Minister Chan Chun Sing told a team that it is crucial for China and that the whole world knows each other properly. Chan mentioned China's absence, saying Beijing should take advantage of the status “all opportunities” available.
“But whether China participates or not [dialogue]It is our responsibility to engage with China on different forums…Endly, we will not fall into misunderstandings, misunderstandings or distorts each other’s positions. That's very dangerous. ”
