A close associate of Donald Trump has issued a startling threat, admitting that the US is “prepared” to go to war with China. Pete Hegseth, the US Defence Secretary, made this shocking revelation during his appearance on Fox and Friends.
He was responding to a provocative post shared by the Chinese embassy in the US on Twitter, which read: “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 until the end.”
In response, Hegseth stated: “Well, we’re prepared.”
He further added: “‘Those who long for peace must prepare for war,’ that’s why we’re rebuilding our military.”
He emphasised the need for strength to deter war, stating: “If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong, and that president understands peace comes through strength,” reports The Mirror.
Despite the heated exchange, Hegseth maintained that Mr Trump had a “great relationship” with China’s president Xi Jinping and that the two nations could co-operate. He said the president was seeking peace and opportunities.
However, he reiterated his role as defence secretary, saying: “But my job as the secretary of defence is to make sure we’re ready. We need the defence spending, the capabilities, the weapons and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused on.”
Beijing has declared its intention to increase its defence budget by over 7.2 per cent this week, as it seeks to modernise its military and exert more pressure on neighbouring territories such as Taiwan. This comes against the backdrop of a trade war between the two nations.
In a dramatic move, Mr Trump announced his decision to double the tariffs imposed on Chinese imports to approximately 20 per cent. China retaliated with reciprocal tariffs of up to 15 per cent on certain US agricultural products.
Chinese officials have suggested that Mr Trump is using the continuous influx of the lethal drug fentanyl as a pretext for imposing these tariffs. Trump has criticised China for not taking sufficient action against the drug.
He also berated Canada and Mexico for their perceived lack of effort in curbing the drug’s flow from their countries, a claim both nations dispute. Alongside this, he imposed a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from both countries at the same time as those on China.
