China says US ‘should not play with fire’ on Taiwan, slams Hegseth

BEIJING – China on June 1 warned the United States it “should not play with fire” over Taiwan and said it had lodged “representations” with Washington over comments made by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a summit in Singapore.

The US Secretary of Defense used his speech at an annual security forum on May 31 to warn that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia.

He added that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and “rehearsing for the real deal”.

READ: West PH Sea: Hegseth warns China ‘preparing’ to use military force in Asia

In a statement released just after midnight, China’s foreign ministry said it had “lodged solemn representations with the US side” over Mr Hegseth’s comments, adding that it “strongly deplores” his remarks.

“The US should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to contain China and should not play with fire,” it said.

Beijing, which did not send its defense minister, Admiral Dong Jun, to the Singapore summit, called the “Taiwan issue” China’s “internal affair” and said foreign countries had no right to interfere.

China considers the self-ruled democratic island as its territory and has not ruled out using force to take control of it.

Mr Hegseth also accused Beijing of “illegally seizing and militarizing lands” in the disputed South China Sea.

Beijing claims almost the entire waterway, despite an international ruling that its assertion has no merit.

READ: Shangri-La Dialogue: US defense chief Hegseth seeks to woo allies

The foreign ministry on June 1 claimed there had “never been any issue” with navigation in the waterway.

China “is committed to safeguarding its territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in accordance with the law”, a ministry spokesperson said.

Beijing also accused the US of turning the Indo-Pacific region into a “powder keg” by deploying weapons in the South China Sea.