Tensions Flare: China's Protest Over U.S. Defense Secretary's Remarks

China has formally protested to the United States in response to comments made by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, criticizing them as vilifying, according to the Chinese foreign ministry.

The ministry described Hegseth's remarks at the Singapore-based Shangri-La Dialogue as 'deplorable' and accused them of sowing division while ignoring regional calls for peace.

Hegseth had characterized China as a 'real and potentially imminent' threat in the Indo-Pacific and urged allies to boost defense spending, a stance that the Chinese ministry denounced, highlighting the rising tensions in the South China Sea involving U.S. military deployments.

(With inputs from agencies.)