China has protested to the United States over "vilifying" remarks made by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, the foreign ministry said on Sunday, while accusing it of deliberately ignoring calls for peace from regional nations.

China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as "deplorable" and "intended to sow division".

"Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat'," the ministry said on its website.

Hegseth had called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region to spend more on defence after warning of the "real and potentially imminent" threat from China.

"The United States has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg," the ministry added in the statement.

As part of Washington's longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the U.S. military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the island of Luzon.

China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands and atolls in the South China Sea, with growing maritime run-ins between their coast guards as both vie to patrol the waters.

The ministry also warned the United States not to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question.

In his speech at Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, military officials and diplomats, Hegseth said any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences".

China has vowed to "reunify" with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

(Reuters)

China accuses US's Hegseth of 'vilifying' remarks at security forum