China warned the United States on Saturday against "playing with fire" over the Taiwan issue, asserting that it had lodged "protests" with Washington following a speech delivered by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a security forum in Singapore.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying: "The United States should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a bargaining chip to contain China and should not play with fire."
The statement added that China "has lodged formal representations with the US side" regarding Hegseth's remarks.
Hegseth warned on Saturday that Chinese military forces are "training for the real mission" as they prepare for a possible invasion of Taiwan.
"It is well known that Xi ordered his military to be able to invade Taiwan by 2027. The People's Liberation Army is building up the military forces to do that and is training daily for the actual mission," Hegseth said during the Shangri-La Security Forum in Singapore.
Hegseth urged Washington's Asian allies to rapidly increase their military spending in the face of the Chinese threat.
The US Secretary of Defense warned that China "is clearly and confidently preparing to use military force to change the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific region."
"The threat posed by China is real and potentially imminent," Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Forum for Security and Dialogue in Singapore, adding that Beijing "hopes to dominate and control" Asia.
Hegseth explained that the United States is "back" in the Indo-Pacific region, stressing that "we are here to stay."
"America is proud to return to the Indo-Pacific region, and we are here to stay," the US Secretary of Defense said in his speech, describing the region as a "priority theater" for his country.
China considers Taiwan its own province and has vowed to reunify the island by force if necessary. It has stepped up military and political pressure to uphold its pledges, including increased military exercises around Taiwan.
The Taiwanese government rejects Beijing's claims to sovereignty, asserting that the island's people alone can decide their future.
Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun decided not to participate in the major Asian security forum, and Beijing instead sent an academic delegation.
