On Saturday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Indo-Pacific allies that the U.S. supports them against the growing military and economic pressures from China, while urging them to contribute more to their own defense.

Hegseth stated that the U.S. would enhance its overseas defenses to counter what the Pentagon sees as rapidly evolving threats from China, especially towards Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own. China has conducted various exercises to simulate a blockade of the island.

The Chinese army “is rehearsing for the real deal,” Hegseth remarked in a keynote speech at a security conference in Singapore. “We are not going to sugarcoat it — the threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”

Hegseth said the Chinese army “is rehearsing for the real deal” and the threat it poses could be imminent. (AP)

In his speech, Hegseth called out China’s ambitions in Latin America, specifically attempts to increase influence over the Panama Canal.

He also urged countries in the region to increase their defense spending to be in line with the percentage of gross domestic product that European nations are being pressed to contribute.

“We must all do our part,” Hegseth said.

China has said it wants its military to be in a position to take Taiwan by force if necessary by 2027. (AP)

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, pushed back against Hegseth after his speech for a comment he made about European countries putting focus on defending their own region while the U.S. mostly handles the Indo-Pacific.

Kallas said European and Asian security are “very much interlinked” at the moment as North Korean troops are fighting for Russia and China is supporting Moscow.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.