Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Asian ally countries that China poses a “real” threat to the Indo-Pacific region.
“As our allies share the burden, we can increase our focus on the Indo-Pacific: our priority theater,” Hegseth said during the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue.
“We share your vision of peace and stability, of prosperity and security and we are here to stay,” he added, explaining that the future for the region is “grounded in common sense and national interests.”
“We are not here to pressure other countries to embrace and adopt our politics or ideology; we are not here to preach to you about climate change or cultural issues; [and] we are not here to impose our will on you. We are all sovereign nations,” Hegseth said, reiterating that through “mutual interests and common sense,” the United States and its Asian allies will “will build and strengthen our defense partnerships to preserve peace and increase prosperity.”
Discussing China specifically, Hegseth noted that the country does not conflict with China, but it will also “not be pushed out of this critical region and we will not let our allies and partners be subordinated and intimidated.”
“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it: the threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said, noting that if necessary, the DOD is “prepared to do what the Department of Defense does best: to fight and win, decisively.”
China condemned Hegseth’s warnings of its threatening presence. “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,'” a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The spokesperson noted that China “deplores and firmly opposes” Hegseth’s comments.
