China Urges U.S. to 'Stop Inciting Conflict' in Asia-Pacific Region in Blistering Response to Hegseth

China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday issued a strong public rebuke of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, accusing him of touting a “cold war mentality” after he said China poses a real “threat” that “could be imminent.” In a statement posted online, the ministry urged the country to “stop inciting conflict” in the “Asia-Pacific.”

“China urges the U.S. to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region,” the statement read.

The ministry shared its stance after Hegseth addressed the Shangri-La Dialogue defense conference in Singapore on Saturday and issued a warning about China’s ambitions in Asia, saying it “hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region.”

“China seeks to intimidate you in your own waters,” Hegseth told the crowd of defense ministers and security officials. “China’s military harasses Taiwan.”

“It has to be clear to all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific,” Hegseth said, arguing that the other countries in the room should be upgrading their own militaries and boost defense spending to prepare. “We are not going to sugarcoat it—the threat China poses is real and it could be imminent.”

In response, China’s foreign ministry said that Taiwan is an “internal affair” and argued that the U.S. is overstepping its bounds by “stoking flames” in the South China Sea.

“No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the U.S. itself, who is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific,” China said.

The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) claims that Taiwan—which has its own democratically elected government—is a breakaway territory of China that is illegally run by separatists, and they seek to annex it or carry out a “reunification.”

The U.S. does not diplomatically recognize Taiwan, but it serves as a key ally and has made “available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability,” according to Congress.

Read More: Why China-Taiwan Relations Are Getting So Tense

Tensions have risen between Taiwan and China in recent months, as both the U.S. and China have ramped up their military presence in the South China Sea. However, Hegseth said in his speech in Singapore that President Donald Trump “does not seek war.”

“We do not seek regime change, nor will we instigate or disrespect a proud and historic culture. We will be ready, but we will not be reckless,” said Hegseth of the U.S.’ intentions. “Instead, we seek peace. But we must ensure that China cannot dominate us—or our allies and partners.”

Beyond mounting geopolitical tensions, China and the U.S. are in the midst of a trade war as they go back-and-forth regarding tariffs. On May 12, both nations agreed to significantly lower their tariffs for a 90-day period. The U.S. said it would lower import taxes on goods coming from China from 145% down to 30%. While China agreed to lower its tariffs from 125% to 10%. It was agreed that the actions would be put into effect by May 14, but progress has stalled since the marathon trade talks held in Geneva.

On May 30, Trump accused China of “violating” its trade agreement with the U.S.

“Two weeks ago China was in grave economic danger! The very high tariffs I set made it virtually impossible for China to trade into the United States marketplace,” said Trump via Truth Social, claiming that there was “civil unrest” as a result of the high levies.

Read More: Trump Accuses China of ‘Violating’ Its Trade Agreement With the U.S., Laments Being ‘Mr. Nice Guy’

In response, China said that the U.S. has “discriminatory restrictions” in its use of export controls within the chip industry.

“Recently, China has repeatedly raised concerns with the U.S. regarding its abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector and other related practices,” China U.S. embassy spokesperson Liu Pengyu told NBC News. “China once again urges the U.S. to immediately correct its erroneous actions, cease discriminatory restrictions against China and jointly uphold the consensus reached at the high-level talks in Geneva.” 

Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon on Friday said that China isn’t America’s biggest threat, and that the U.S. should look inward.

Speaking at the Reagan National Economic Forum in Simi Valley, Calif., Dimon said: “China is a potential adversary—they’re doing a lot of things well, they have a lot of problems. But what I really worry about is us. Can we get our own act together? Our own values, our own capability, our own management.”