‘Beijing aims to become a hegemonic power in Asia’
A Chinese military attack in Taiwan “could be imminent”, with Beijing who wants to become hegemonic power in Asia. The way Beijing acts should play as a “alarm bell”, said the chief of the Pentagon Pete Hegseth at Shangri-the Dialogue of Singapore, inviting the US allies in the Indo-Pacific to increase the expense for the defense as a further deterrent.
Any attempt “of the Communist China to conquer Taiwan would have devastating effects for indo-transfixes and the world. The threat represented by China is real. And it could be imminent. We hope not, but it could certainly be”.
In his first important speech as a secretary of defense, Hegseth said that the United States “do not seek conflict” with China, but “they will not allow our allies and partners to be subordinated”. Beijing is using computer skills to attack critical infrastructures in the United States and elsewhere and is harassing his neighbors, including Taiwan, in the southern Chinese Sea.
“It is in the public domain that XI has ordered his army to be able to invade Taiwan by 2027. The Popular Liberation Army is preparing the army to do it, training every day and preparing for the real agreement,” added Hegseth, referring to the Chinese president Xi Jinping and to the armed forces of Beijing on their alleged military plans reported by the US intelligence.
Faced with the Chinese threat, Hegseth observed that many countries are “attempted by the idea of looking for both economic cooperation with China and a defense cooperation with the United States”. However, he warned that economic dependence from China “complicates our decision -making space in periods of tension or conflict”. On the invitation to increase the expenses for the defense, the former Fox News Anchor added that “it is difficult to believe they can say it, but the allies and Asian partners should look at European countries as a new example. NATO countries undertake to spend 5% of their GDP for the defense, even Germany”, added Hegseth, citing advanced expectation in February at the European allies on the security of Munich’s security conference Bavaria. “How can it make sense that European countries do this while the main allies and partners in Asia spend much less in the face of a much more formidable threat from communist China, not to mention North Korea?” Ultimately, “a network of allies and partners strong, resolute and capable is our main strategic advantage. China envies what we have together”, but it is necessary to invest more. The American allies in the Indo-Pacific should “quickly enhance their defenses,” he said.
