China issued a blistering response after U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said "the threat China poses is real."

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",

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has reassured allies in the Indo-Pacific that they will not be left alone to face increasing military and economic pressure from China.