China slams US defence secretary Hegseth's SLD speech, warns against 'playing with fire' on Taiwan

China has responded to comments made by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue, saying that the U.S. is promoting a Cold War mentality and warned them against "playing with fire" on Taiwan.

Hegseth on Saturday (May 31) warned that China is "preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific".

The U.S. Defence Secretary also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping has instructed his military to be capable of invading Taiwan by 2027.

Hegseth said that while the U.S. "do not seek conflict" with China, it must also "ensure that China cannot dominate us or our allies and partners".

He said that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan by force "would result in devastating consequences" for the region and the world.

"President Trump has also said that Communist China will not invade Taiwan on his watch," Hegseth said.

"Exaggerated the 'China threat theory'"

The Chinese Foreign Ministry responded to Hegseth's remarks on Sunday (Jun. 1), saying that the U.S. Defence Secretary has "exaggerated the 'China threat theory'", promoted a Cold War mentality of bloc confrontation, and smeared and attacked China, as reported by state media Global Times.

It said that U.S. is instead the "biggest factor undermining peace and stability" in the region, including providing arms in the South China Sea.

The ministry added that Taiwan is "purely China's internal affair", and that "no foreign country has the right to interfere".

"The U.S. should not entertain illusions about using the Taiwan question as a bargaining chip to contain China, nor should it play with fire," the ministry said, as reported by Global Times.

"China urges the US to genuinely respect the efforts of regional countries to maintain peace and stability, stop deliberately undermining the region's peaceful environment, refrain from exaggerating conflicts and confrontation, and avoid further exacerbating tensions."

Top image via IISS and Global Times