Hegseth warns China poses 'imminent' threat to Taiwan and urges Asia to boost defence

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has warned of China posing an "imminent" threat to Taiwan, while urging Asian countries to boost defence spending and work with the US to deter war.

While the US does not "seek to dominate or strangle China", it would not be pushed out of Asia nor allow its allies to be intimidated, Hegseth said while addressing a high-level Asian defence summit on Saturday

In response, China has accused the US of being the "biggest troublemaker" for regional peace.

Many in Asia fear potential instability if China invades Taiwan, a self-governing island claimed by Beijing. China has not ruled out the use of force.

Speaking at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, Hegseth characterised China as seeking to become a "hegemonic power" that "hopes to dominate and control too many parts" of Asia. China has clashed with several neighbours over competing territorial claims in the South China Sea.

He said Beijing was "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power" in Asia, and referred to a 2027 deadline that President Xi Jinping has allegedly given for China's military to be capable of invading Taiwan.

This is a date put forth by US officials and generals for years, but has never been confirmed by Beijing.

China "is building the military needed to do it, training for it, every day and rehearsing for the real deal", Hegseth said.

"Let me be clear: any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent. We hope not but certainly could be."

The US does not seek war or conflict with China, Hegseth added.

"We do not seek to dominate or strangle China, to encircle or provoke. We do not seek regime change… but we must ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners," he said, adding "we will not be pushed out of this critical region".

In response, the Chinese embassy in Singapore posted a note on its Facebook page saying the speech was "steeped in provocations and instigation" and said Hegseth had "repeatedly smeared and attacked China and relentlessly played up the so-called 'China threat'".

"As a matter of fact, the US itself is the biggest 'troublemaker' for regional peace and stability," it added. Examples it cited included the US "deploying offensive weapons" in the South China Sea and conducting reconnaissance of what the embassy called "Chinese islands and reefs".

"What the US now offers the most to the world is 'uncertainty'," the embassy said. "The country claims to safeguard peace and not to seek conflicts. We've heard it. Let's see what moves will it take."

China's robust rhetoric came as it deliberately diminished its presence at the dialogue.

Organised by think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Shangri-la Dialogue has traditionally served as a platform for the US and China to make their pitches to Asian countries as the superpowers jostle for influence.

But while this year the US has sent one of its largest delegations ever, China instead sent a notably lower-level team and scrapped its planned speech on Sunday.

No official explanation has been given, although a state media piece sought to downplay it by quoting an anonymous expert who said China's decision to not send its defence minister "should not be overinterpreted".

To prevent war, the US wants "a strong shield of deterrence" forged with allies, said Hegseth, who promised the US would "continue to wrap our arms around our friends and find new ways to work together".

But he stressed "deterrence does not come cheap" and urged Asian countries to ramp up their defence spending, pointing to Europe as an example.

US President Donald Trump has demanded of the Western alliance Nato spend more on defence, at least 5% of their GDPs – an approach Hegseth called "tough love, but love nonetheless". Some countries including Estonia have moved quickly to do so, while others such as have signalled an openness to comply.

"How can it make sense for countries in Europe to do that while key allies and partners in Asia spend less in the face of a more formidable threat":[]}