U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth participates in an announcement by President Donald Trump about moving forward with the Golden Dome missile defense shield in the Oval Office of the White House on May 20, 2025. File photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo
June 1 (UPI) -- China criticized the United States on Sunday for having a "Cold War mentality" after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth described Beijing as a threat the Indo-Pacific region in a speech 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 China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
"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."
Hegseth had delivered his remarks during the International Institute for Strategic Studies Shangri-La Dialogue event in Singapore. He said the Indo-Pacific region is the United States' "priority theater" and won't allow China to push it and its allies out of the region.
