Hegseth Issues Warning About China's Growing Power: 'It Wants To Fundamentally Alter The Status Quo'

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During Friday’s dialogue in Singapore, Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth discussed U.S. relations with China.  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript   Stay Connected Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com

Transcript

00:00So before we get to those hard truths, and make sure our friends in the press, our words

00:06are not disconstrue as they so often are, let me begin by saying we do not seek conflict

00:14with communist China. We will not escape, nor seek to subjugate or humiliate. President

00:24Trump and the American people have an immense respect for the Chinese people and their civilization.

00:32But we will not be pushed out of this critical region. And we will not let our allies and

00:36partners be subordinated and intimidated. China seeks to become a hegemonic power in Asia,

00:43no doubt. It hopes to dominate and control too many parts of this vibrant and vital region.

00:51Through its massive military buildup and growing willingness to use military force to achieve

00:56its goals, including gray zone tactics and hybrid warfare, China has demonstrated that it wants

01:03to fundamentally alter the region's status quo. We cannot avoid, and we cannot ignore it.

01:10China's behavior toward its neighbors and the world is a wake-up call, and an urgent one.

01:17China uses its vast and sophisticated cyber capabilities to steal technology and attack

01:24critical infrastructure in your countries and in the United States as well. These actions not

01:29only compromise our countries, but engage in the lives of our citizens. In the South China Sea,

01:36China harasses its neighbors, many of which are here in the room today. China seeks to intimidate you

01:43in your own waters. We've all seen the videos and pictures of water cannons and ship-to-ship collisions

01:50and illegal warnings at sea. We're also seeing the illegal seizing and militarizing lands in the

01:58South China Sea. These actions reveal a lack of respect for neighbors, and they challenge sovereignty,

02:05freedom of navigation, and overflight. We're watching very closely China's destabilizing actions.

02:15And any unilateral attempt to change the status quo in the South China Sea in the first island chain by

02:22force or coercion is unacceptable. Every day, you see it, China's military harasses Taiwan.

02:33These activities have been paired with China's rapid military monetization and build-up,

02:38including huge investments in nuclear weapons, hypersonics, and amphibious assault capabilities.

02:44And it hasn't been clear at all that Beijing is credibly preparing to potentially use military

02:53force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. We know, it's public, that Xi has ordered his

03:00military to be capable of evading Taiwan by 2027. The PLA is building the military needed to do it,

03:07training for it every day, and rehearsing for the real deal. Admiral Pujarov has spoken very clearly

03:16about this on multiple occasions. Again, to be clear, any attempt by communist China to conquer Taiwan

03:24by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There's no reason

03:31to sugarcoat it. The threat China opposes is real, and it could be eminent. We hope not, but it certainly

03:39could be. Facing these threats, we know that many countries are tempted by the idea of seeking both

03:45economic cooperation with China and defense cooperation with the United States. Now, that is a

03:53geographic necessity for many. But where are the efforts that the CCP seeks with that entanglement?

04:02Economic dependence on China only deepens their line influence and complicates our defense decision

04:08space during times of tension. Nobody knows what China will ultimately do, but they are preparing,

04:15and therefore we must be ready as well.

04:22Urgency and vigilance is our only option at the Department of Defense with our allies, because

04:31the United States, especially under President Trump, does not seek war. We do not seek to dominate or

04:40strangle China to encircle or provoke. We do not seek regime change, nor will we instigate or disrespect

04:52a proud and historic culture. We will be ready, but we will not be reckless. Instead, we seek peace.

05:03But we must ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners. Maintaining the status quo

05:12requires strength. That's just a rational, common sense goal that we should all be able to live with.

05:19President Trump has also said that communist China will not be paid Taiwan on his watch. So our goal

05:25is to prevent war, to make the cost too high, and peace the only option. And we will do this with a strong

05:36shield of deterrence forged together with you, America's great allies and defense partners. Together,

05:45we will show what it means to execute peace through strength. In many ways, seen and unseen, overt and covert.

05:59But if deterrence failed and if pulled upon by my commander in chief, we are prepared to do what the

06:06department of defense does best to fight and win decisively.

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