A Chinese invasion of Taiwan “could be imminent” Pete Hegseth, the US defence secretary, has warned, as he claimed Beijing was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the “balance of power in the Indo-Pacific”.
“The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent,” Mr Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a security conference attended by defence officials from around the world.
Mr Hegseth warned the Chinese forces were building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and “rehearsing for the real deal”.
Beijing has ramped up military pressure on Taiwan and held multiple large-scale exercises around the island, often described as preparations for a blockade or invasion.
The US was “reorienting toward deterring aggression by communist China”, Hegseth said, calling on US allies and partners in Asia to swiftly upgrade their defences in the face of mounting threats.The Pentagon chief made the remarks at an annual security forum in Singapore as Donald Trump’s administration sparred with Beijing on trade, technology and influence over strategic areas of the globe.
Since taking office in January, Mr Trump has launched a trade war with China, sought to kerb its access to key AI technologies and deepened security ties with allies such as the Philippines, which is engaged in escalating territorial disputes with Beijing.
Mr Hegseth described China’s conduct as a “wake-up call”, accusing Beijing of endangering lives with cyber attacks, harassing its neighbours, and “illegally seizing and militarising lands” in the South China Sea.
Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, through which more than 60 per cent of global maritime trade passes, despite an international ruling that this territorial assertion has no merit.
China has clashed repeatedly with the Philippines in the strategic waters in recent months, a situation that is set to dominate discussions at the Singapore defence forum, according to US officials.
As Mr Hegseth spoke in Singapore, China’s military announced that its navy and air force were carrying out routine “combat readiness patrols” around the Scarborough Shoal, a chain of reefs and rocks Beijing disputes with the Philippines.
“China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years,” Casey Mace, charge d’affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, said ahead of the meeting.
Mr Hegseth’s hard-hitting address drew a critical reaction from Chinese analysts at the conference.
Da Wei, director of the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, said the speech was “very unfriendly” and “very confrontational”.
He also accused Washington of double standards in demanding Beijing respect its neighbours while bullying its own – such as Canada and Greenland.
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