Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth Warns of Imminent China Threat, Urges Asian Allies to Bolster Defenses

On Saturday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned that China is "credibly preparing" to use its military force to dramatically change the balance of power in Asia, and said the U.S. is committed to the Indo-Pacific region, according to the news agency AFP.

Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, the Pentagon chief said, "The threat from China is real and could be imminent."

He charged Beijing with developing military capabilities to possibly invade Taiwan, and "rehearsing for the real deal" with large exercises multiple times a year.

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Hegseth urged U.S. partners in Asia to rapidly improve their defenses, saying, "The U.S. is changing its strategy to deter aggression from communist China."

The statements come as tensions between Washington and Beijing have spiked over trade, technology and regional power. President Trump, who took office in January, has escalated the trade war with China, restricted access to advanced AI technologies, and deepened security partnerships with U.S. allies in the region, such as the Philippines.

Hegseth calls China's actions a ‘wake-up call’

Hegseth characterized China's conduct as a "wake-up call," saying that Beijing has endangered lives with cyber attacks, harassed its neighbors, and ultimately "illegally seized and militarized lands" in the South China Sea. Hegseth said the U.S. is committed to making sure that “China cannot dominate us — or our allies and partners”.

Beijing claims almost all of the South China Sea despite violating international ruling against it, and renewed incidents involving the Philippines increase the tension even more.

Hegseth stressed that the Indo-Pacific remains “America’s priority theatre” at the Singapore security forum, and reiterated that Trump takes China’s pledge that “China will not invade (Taiwan) on his watch” seriously.

He emphasized that US allies must increase defence spending and modernize their military. This statement came just after Trump's renewed tariff issues and accusing China of “violating” a truce on tariffs.

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China's 'combat readiness' patrols

While Hegseth was delivering his speech in Singapore, China’s military had announced that the navy and airforce were conducting “combat readiness patrols” near the Scarborough Shoal — a group of reefs and rocks claimed both by the Philippines, and China.

“China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea has only increased in recent years,” said Casey Mace, chargé d’affaires at the US embassy in Singapore, were available to reporters before the summit. “I think that this type of forum is exactly the type of forum where we need to have an exchange on that.”

China did not send senior officials from its defence ministry to the summit, but sent representatives from its People's Liberation Army National Defence University.

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