Washington: U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tuesday that China poses an increasingly aggressive threat to the United States, saying deterring Beijing is the Pentagon's top regional priority amid its rapid military buildup and invasion drills near Taiwan.

According to Focus Taiwan, Hegseth testified before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee during an oversight hearing with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine. He described China as the "pacing threat" and highlighted its preparations for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of a broader strategy to dominate the region and potentially the world. Hegseth warned that if China succeeds, it could derail American reindustrialization and severely impact the U.S. economy.

Hegseth also emphasized U.S. President Donald Trump's "peace through strength" strategy, calling for a revitalization of the stagnant U.S. defense industrial base. He stressed that China is undergoing a historic military buildup and actively rehearsing for an invasion of Taiwan. Hegseth asserted that only by maintaining the world's most powerful and lethal military, focused on protecting key U.S. interests, could the U.S. effectively deter adversaries and win a potential conflict.

Meanwhile, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine noted that China's People's Liberation Army is increasingly demonstrating its growing capabilities through military pressure, with operations targeting Taiwan becoming more frequent, complex, and large in scale. He described these maneuvers not as routine exercises but as rehearsals for a forced unification.

Their comments were consistent with recent warnings by U.S. Indo-Pacific Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo, who expressed concern at a forum last month over the rate at which China is diversifying its military exercises.