China accuses Hegseth of touting ‘Cold War mentality’ in provocative speech

China accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of espousing a “Cold War mentality” in a speech “filled with provocations” in Singapore on Saturday.

“Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a ‘threat,’” a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

“The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow discord. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the U.S.,” the spokesperson continued.

Hegseth, who took the stage at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday, sought to woo Asian defense leaders to Washington’s side, as he warned of the “imminent” threat China poses to the Indo-Pacific region.

China has threatened to overtake Taiwan, a potential reality Hegseth played into in his speech at the forum.

“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it. The threat China poses is real, and it could be imminent,” Hegseth said, adding that any move on Taipei by Beijing “would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world.”

China’s foreign ministry spokesperson pushed back against claims that it poses a “threat” and returned the accusation to the U.S.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

“To perpetuate its hegemony and advance the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy,’ the U.S. 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 and making countries in the region deeply concerned.

Hegseth’s trip to Singapore — his second visit to the region as Pentagon chief — came amid a backdrop of heightened rhetoric between Washington and Beijing, which President Trump accused Friday of violating a temporary trade deal. 

European and Indo-Pacific countries have found themselves at a crossroads as of late, increasingly pulled between the competing interests of the U.S. and China as both struggle for dominance.

In an attempt to sway Indo-Pacific nations, Hegseth promised continued American partnership and support to those wary of the Trump administration’s commitment to the region. But the pledges came with a caveat repeated in Europe, Africa and elsewhere in the world: a call for an increase in defense spending.

“We ask, and indeed we insist, that our allies and partners do their part on defense,” he said. “Sometimes that means having uncomfortable and tough conversations.”

The Hill has reached out to the Defense Department for a response.