The Pentagon chief’s statement comes amid escalating trade tensions with Beijing
The US is prepared to go to war with China if necessary, the Pentagon has announced, following Beijing’s threat of tariff retaliation in what marks another escalation in an ongoing trade war between the world’s two largest economies.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth clarified the US position early on Wednesday in an interview with Fox News, responding to the Chinese Embassy in the US, which said Beijing was ready to fight “any” type of war.
“We are prepared,” Hegseth said, adding, “Those who long for peace must prepare for war.”
He further stated that this was why the US was rebuilding its military and restoring “deterrence in the warrior ethos.”
“We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries that have very different ideologies,” he said. “They’re rapidly increasing their defense spending, modernizing technology –they want to supplant the United States.”
Hegseth stressed that maintaining military strength was key to avoiding conflict. “If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong,” he said.
The Pentagon chief also insisted that US President Donald Trump has “a great relationship” with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, and that cooperation and partnership would be pursued where possible. Hegseth emphasized however that his role as the secretary of defense was to ensure readiness for any potential confrontation.
China warned late on Tuesday that it would respond if the US pressed ahead with a trade or tariff war, following Trump’s decision to double them on Chinese imports, from 10% to 20%. Those levies came atop tariffs of up to 25% imposed by the Trump administration on some $370 billion worth of US imports from China back in 2018 and 2019.
“If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in a statement, which was also echoed by the country’s embassy.
In swift reaction to Trump’s measures, Beijing announced tariff hikes of 10%-15% on a range of American agricultural and food products. It also placed 25 US companies under export and investment restrictions, citing national security concerns.
Beijing has also filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO), asserting that US tariffs violate international trade rules, and has called on Washington to resolve the dispute through dialogue.
US-China trade tensions flared in 2018 during Trump’s first term, when he imposed tariffs on Chinese goods, citing unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft. The move triggered a tit-for-tat escalation that disrupted global markets and supply chains.
