Pete Hegseth reaffirmed in a speech in Singapore that the U.S. does not seek conflict with China, but to deter China the U.S. "is preparing for war, to deter war."

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth on Saturday warned that China was “credibly preparing” to use military force to alter the balance of power in Asia, while asserting that the United States was “here to stay” in the Indo-Pacific region.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth cautioned that China is actively preparing to use military force to expand its influence in the Indo-Pacific region, posing a real and imminent threat. He highlighted concerns about a potential invasion of Taiwan by 2027 and China's growing presence in Latin America,

In a frank speech, the French president also warned the US against abandoning Ukraine, saying it would weaken efforts to deter China from invading Taiwan.

Pete Hegseth says at Shangri-La Dialogue not fair for Asian nations to be spending less than European peers if they face China's "threat" more directly Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.

Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský commented on the statement made by Keith Kellogg, the special representative of US President Donald Trump, regarding the US being ready to promise Russian President Vladimir Putin that Ukraine will not join NATO.