Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced today that the United States is fully “prepared” to engage in a military conflict with China, just hours after Beijing issued strong warnings in response to President Trump’s aggressive new tariffs.
Appearing on Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” Hegseth firmly stated, “We’re prepared,” in response to China’s declaration that it was “ready to fight” in any form of confrontation.
“Those who long for peace must prepare for war,” he remarked, emphasizing the need to maintain strength in the face of rising global threats.
He pointed to the ongoing military revitalization efforts, explaining, “That’s why we’re rebuilding our military. That’s why we’re re-establishing deterrence in the warrior ethos. We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries with very different ideology.”
According to Hegseth, Beijing has been aggressively ramping up its defense capabilities in an effort to challenge America’s position on the world stage.
“They’re rapidly increasing their defense spending, modern technology, they want to supplant the United States,” he said, outlining the scope of China’s military advancements.
He stressed that maintaining military superiority is essential to preventing future conflicts. “If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong,” he stated.
Hegseth’s strong rhetoric followed China’s vow late Tuesday to strike back if Washington insisted on continuing its confrontational trade and tariff policies. This response came shortly after Trump’s decision to escalate tariffs on Chinese goods from 10% to 20%.
“If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian declared in an official statement.
Beijing wasted no time retaliating, swiftly imposing its own tariffs, raising import duties on various American agricultural and food products by 10%-15%.
In addition to economic measures, China also took action against American companies, placing 25 U.S. businesses under export and investment restrictions, citing national security concerns.
Despite the rising tensions, Hegseth later sought to reassure that Trump’s relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping remained positive and that diplomatic efforts were ongoing.
“My job as the secretary of defense is to make sure we’re ready,” he affirmed.
He also reiterated the importance of maintaining a strong military presence in the region, saying, “We need the defense spending, the capabilities, the weapons and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused.”
{Matzav.com}