US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on Saturday delivered a dire warning to the Asia-Pacific region and the world: China’s designs on Taiwan pose a threat to global peace and stability that requires “our allies and partners do their part on defense.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned China is rehearsing for a potential invasion of Taiwan during a defense forum over the weekend, prompting a response from Chinese officials.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said he came to Asia’s preeminent security forum to talk “tanks, not tariffs.” But for other leaders, Trump’s trade war was hard to set aside.