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.

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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.”

AFP