Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded Wednesday to China’s claims that it is ready for any “type of war” following President Donald Trump’s 10% tariff increase.
On Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded to Trump’s move, claiming the “fentanyl issue is a flimsy excuse to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports.”
‘My job as the secretary of defense is to make sure we’re ready.’
Lin blamed the fentanyl crisis on the U.S., outright rejecting claims that China bears any responsibility. Instead, he insisted that China has helped the U.S. address the issue.
“Instead of recognizing our efforts, the U.S. has sought to vilify and shift the blame to China and is seeking to pressure and blackmail China with tariff hikes. They’ve been punishing us for helping them. This is not going to solve the U.S.’s problem and will undermine our counternarcotics dialogue and cooperation,” Lin stated.
“Let me reiterate that intimidation does not scare us. Bullying does not work on us. Pressuring, coercion, or threats are not the right way of dealing with China. Anyone using maximum pressure on China is picking the wrong guy and miscalculating,” he continued.
Lin concluded that China is prepared for any “type of war.”
“If the U.S. has other agenda in mind, and if war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end. We urge the U.S. to stop being domineering and return to the right track of dialogue and cooperation at an early date,” Lin remarked.
In response to the 20% tariff on Chinese imports, China imposed a 15% tariff on U.S. agricultural goods.
On Wednesday, Hegseth reacted to China’s threats of war readiness with his own.
“We’re prepared,” Hegseth told “Fox & Friends.”
“Those who long for peace must prepare for war,” he continued. “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.”
Hegseth noted that China has been “rapidly increasing” its technology and defense spending.
He stated that Trump “understands that peace comes through strength.”
“If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong,” he added.
“My job as the secretary of defense is to make sure we’re ready,” he continued. “We need the defense spending, the capabilities, the weapons, and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused.”
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