CHINA rebuked United States Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth today, after he called the Asian country a threat, accusing him of touting a cold war mentality.

In his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, a global security conference, on Saturday, Mr Hegseth repeatedly warned of the so-called “threat China poses” and raised the temperature between the two nations with provocative comments relating to issues such as Taiwan and the South China Sea.

China’s army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Mr Hegseth said. "We are not going to sugar coat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said: “The remarks were filled with provocations and intended to sow division. China deplores and firmly opposes them and has protested strongly to the US. 

“Mr Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the cold war mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a ‘threat.’

“No country in the world deserves to be called a hegemonic power other than the US itself, which is also the primary factor undermining the peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific.” 

The ministry warned that the US is “turning the region into a powder keg and making countries in the region deeply concerned, as it has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific to perpetuate its hegemony and advance the so-called ‘Indo-Pacific strategy’.”

On Taiwan, the ministry reiterated that it is entirely China’s internal affair, with no country in a position to interfere.

“The US should never imagine it could use the Taiwan question as leverage against China and must never play with fire on this question,” the spokesperson said.

“China urges the US to fully abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, and stop supporting and emboldening the 'Taiwan independence’ separatist forces,” the spokesperson added.

On the South China Sea, the ministry emphasised that there has never been any problem with regard to freedom of navigation and overflight.

“It is the US that is the primary factor that is hurting the peace and stability in the South China Sea,” the spokesperson said.

“China urges the US to fully respect the efforts of countries in the region to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately destroying the peaceful and stable environment cherished by the region, and stop inciting conflict and confrontation and escalating tensions in the region.”