The tension between Washington and Beijing just cranked up another notch.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth didn’t hold back.
He called China a “threat to the region.”
He accused it of prepping for a military move on Taiwan.
The Foreign Ministry slammed Hegseth’s speech as “defamatory” and “Cold War mentality.”
What’s China’s Response?
It warned the US not to use Taiwan as a bargaining chip. “Don’t play with fire,” Beijing said.
It doubled down on its claim that Taiwan is part of its territory and that reunification—even by force—is on the table.
Taiwan, meanwhile, says its future is up to its people, not Beijing.
Hegseth also urged US allies, like Australia, to ramp up defense spending, painting a picture of an “imminent” threat from China.
Officials hit back, accusing the US of turning the Asia Pacific into a “powder keg.”
Military deployments and rising tensions in the South China Sea were cited.
Curiously, China skipped sending its defense minister to the summit—a noticeable absence since 2019.
With trade wars, island disputes, and fiery rhetoric all colliding, one thing’s clear.
The diplomatic heat between the world’s two biggest powers isn’t cooling off anytime soon.
