United States Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, has claimed they are “prepared” to go to war with China.
Hegseth stated this while appearing on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning.
The Pentagon chief was responding to a question about a post on X, made by the Chinese Embassy in the US.
Late on Tuesday the Embassy X account wrote: “If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
In response, Hegseth said: “Well, we’re prepared. Those who long for peace must prepare for war.
“If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong, and that president understands peace comes through strength.”
Hegseth’s comments come as the trade war between the US and China escalates.
He added that “my job as the secretary of defense is to make sure we’re ready.
“We need the defense spending, the capabilities, the weapons and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused on.”
China is the second largest spender on the military behind America and has the world’s largest navy.