China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as “deplorable” and “intended to sow division”.
“The United States has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg,“ it added in the statement.
Asked about the call to boost defence spending, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had pledged an extra A$10 billion ($6 billion) to defence.
As part of Washington’s longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the U.S. military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the island of Luzon.
China’s delegation at the forum said “external intervention” was the biggest risk for stability in the South China Sea, saying the country had shown “goodwill and restraint” through talks on the issue.
Such actions infringed China’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests, he added.
China claims nearly all the South China Sea, including parts of the exclusive economic zones of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
China’s foreign ministry also told the United States not to “play with fire” on the question of Taiwan.
China has vowed to “reunify” with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan’s government rejects Beijing’s sovereignty claims, saying only the island’s people can decide their future. ($1=1.5550 Australian dollars)
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( China accuses US’s Hegseth of ‘vilifying’ remarks at security forum )
Also on site :