US defence secretary Hegseth, Peteron Wednesday said that the United States is “prepared” to go to war with China, following warnings from Beijing over rising trade tensions.
We’re ready to fight until the end, according to Hegseth’s answer, which came amid an X-post from China’s US Embassy that read,” If conflict is what the US wants, whether it be a price war, a trade war, or any other kind of war.” He made the remarks while on Fox &, Friends.
The Pentagon’s 44-year-old commander retorted,” We’re prepared. People who long for peace had get ready for battle.
Hegseth argued that the strength of the defense is essential to preventing issue, adding,” That’s why we’re rebuilding our army. We must be robust, and that leader understands that peace can only be achieved through strength, if we want to prevent conflict with the Chinese or other countries.
His remarks come as tensions between Beijing and Washington mount after US President Trump increased tariffs on Chinese imports to 20 % this year. China quickly retaliated by imposing its own 10%-15 % tariffs on a number of US agricultural products, as well as putting a stop to 25 American companies from exporting and investing in China on national security grounds.
Hegseth cited China’s fast expansion of its military as evidenced by his assertion that they want to supplant the United States.” They’re quickly increasing their defence spending, current technology, and they want to,” he said.
Hegseth insisted that Trump continues to have a “great connection” with Chinese President Xi Jinping despite the heated speech.
He said,” Where we can cooperate, we will.” The president wants peace and options, the senator says.
Hegseth also made it clear that his major concern is military readiness. The Secretary of Defense has the responsibility of making certain we are prepared. We require the Indo-Pacific position, features, weapons, and defense spending, which are all very important to us.
As China continues to modernize its defense, it has announced a 7.2 % increase in its defense resources. It already has the second-largest defense contributor after the US, with the largest navy in the world.
Not just the US and China’s industry issues are the source of friction. China’s leaders refute the claim that the White House has accused Beijing of preventing the movement of fentanyl into the US. They claim that America is the only country to blame for the fentanyl crisis and that the situation is being used as a justification for monetary sanctions.
Trump has also criticised Canada and Mexico for failing to impose 25 % tariffs on all imports from both nations in addition to the recent Chinese tariffs.
Beijing accused the US of using the morphine crisis as a “flimsy reason” to justify the price increases and announced punitive measures against British goods.
The Chinese side did combat any kind of war that the United States continues to wage, whether it is a tariff war, trade war, or any other kind, according to Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese government.
His remarks came after the Trump administration increased tariffs from 10 % to 20 % on all Chinese imports. According to the State Council Tax Commission, Beijing retaliated by imposing a 15 % tariff on US poultry, grains, corn, and cotton, as well as a 10 % duty on maize, beans, pork, beef, shellfish, fruits, veggies, and cheese products.
Experts claim that China’s measures are intended to target companies with strong relationships to the Trump administration’s voter base, allowing for discussions to be held to stop further economic harm. According to Alfredo Montufar-Helu, head of the China Center for the Conference Board,” China’s taxes give it place for conversations to potentially prevent even more devastating taxes down the road.”
