HOME > AFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL > Article
Top China official says US defence chief 'inciting conflict'
A senior Chinese official accused the United States defence chief on Thursday of inciting confrontation and conflict after he urged American allies to bolster their militaries to counter Beijing.
China and the United States last month said they had reached an understanding on a trade deal -- a truce after bruising tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods.
But the two countries still disagree on issues ranging from technology and security to geopolitics, including the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as Beijing's territorial claims in Asia.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has warned that China is preparing to use military force to upend the balance of power in Asia and has urged American allies to achieve peace through strength.
On Thursday, Liu Jianchao, the head of the International Department of China's ruling Communist Party, said Hegseth's remarks constituted hegemonic thinking.
What he truly wants is force, not dialogue, Liu told the World Peace Forum in Beijing.
What he is inciting is confrontation and conflict, not peace and harmony, he said.
China and the United States have long been at odds over Beijing's expansive claims in the strategically crucial South China Sea, and its refusal to rule out using force to seize Taiwan, the self-governed island it claims as its own.
The Chinese government has made it crystal clear that it will never back down on these issues, Liu said.
The Chinese people will do their utmost to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification of the motherland, but we will never allow Taiwan independence, he added.
The United States must respect China's sovereignty on this issue.
(2025/07/04 16:28)
Click Here for Japanese TranslationAFP-JIJI PRESS NEWS JOURNAL
- 07/04 17:58 UN expert says firms 'profiting' from 'genocide' of Palestinians
- 07/04 17:54 Record cold grips Argentina, Chile and Uruguay
- 07/04 16:47 Joy riders give Paris bike share system a flat
- 07/04 16:32 Netanyahu vows to bring all Gaza hostages home
- 07/04 16:30 Thousands evacuated as Greek, Turkish wildfires rage
- 07/04 16:28 Top China official says US defence chief 'inciting conflict'
- 07/03 17:52 Israel far right issues rare rebuke of settler attack on army
- 07/03 17:47 Teen plotting attacks on women charged in France's first 'incel' case
- 07/03 17:43 North Korea opens massive beach resort-- state media
- 07/03 16:18 Third-ever confirmed interstellar object blazing through Solar System
- 07/03 16:15 Ukraine scrambling for clarity as US downplays halt to arms shipments
- 07/03 16:13 Germany swelters as European heatwave moves eastwards
- 07/02 19:19 Monsoon-loving Indian expats chase rain in UAE desert
- 07/02 19:14 Trump hails new 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center
- 07/02 19:10 US halting some shipments of military aid to Ukraine
- 07/02 18:47 Trump says will 'take a look' at deporting Musk
- 07/02 18:44 US college bans transgender athletes following swimming furor
- 07/02 18:32 Rubio hails end of USAID as Bush, Obama deplore cost in lives
- 07/01 17:39 Trump attacks Musk subsidies in spending bill row
- 07/01 17:36 North Korea's Kim shown honouring troops killed in Russia-Ukraine war
- 07/01 17:35 Bogdanovic retires after 10 NBA seasons due to foot injury
- 07/01 15:13 EPA employees accuse Trump administration of 'ignoring' science
- 07/01 15:11 Pistons' Beasley being investigated on NBA-related gambling-- report
- 07/01 15:08 Clashes in Istanbul over alleged 'Prophet Mohammed' cartoon
- 06/30 18:20 UK PM condemns 'death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury Festival
- 06/30 18:14 Snakes on a plane bound for India, again
- 06/30 18:12 Swiatek hits out at 'too intense' schedule for top tennis stars
- 06/30 18:01 Fires break out as southern Europe heatwave intensifies
- 06/30 17:47 Extreme heat, storms take toll at Club World Cup
- 06/30 17:44 A Trump political dynasty? His son Eric says maybe
- 06/27 18:08 Nearly one-third of Pacific nation Tuvalu seeks Australian climate visa
- 06/27 18:04 Colombia to reject key US extradition requests
- 06/27 18:01 RFK Jr panel votes against ingredient targeted by anti-vaxxers
- 06/27 17:35 Trump admin insists Iran strikes success, attacks media
- 06/27 17:32 'Mission-- Impossible' composer Lalo Schifrin dies aged 93
- 06/27 17:02 Pools and slides as North Korea set to open 'world class' tourist resort
- 06/26 16:15 Pineapple is the new potato-- imported fruits back in Syria
- 06/26 16:12 Ecuador's most-wanted gang leader 'Fito' captured
- 06/26 16:10 RFK Jr vaccine panel targets childhood vaccinations in first meeting
- 06/26 15:50 Amazon tycoon Bezos arrives in Venice for lavish wedding
- 06/26 15:48 Earth's satellites at risk if asteroid smashes into Moon-- study
- 06/26 15:44 For some migrants in US, Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' awaits
- 06/25 18:14 Iran diaspora in Los Angeles dream of 'regime change'
- 06/25 17:23 Child vaccine coverage faltering, threatening millions-- study
- 06/25 17:20 Lyon appeal relegation to Ligue 2 by financial regulator
- 06/25 17:18 Bears get paws on the honey in UK wildlife park escape
- 06/25 16:24 Grok shows 'flaws' in fact-checking Israel-Iran war-- study
- 06/25 16:22 France charges Briton over staged Disneyland 'marriage' with child