Yesterday, China declared that it was ready to fight a possible trade war, or any other type of war, against the US.
These threats from China came in retaliation after the US decided to impose tariffs on some of Beijing's goods.
But immediately after these threats from China, today came the counter-reaction of the Pentagon, which, through the Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, has said that they are ready to go to war with China, if necessary.
His statements mark another escalation in an ongoing trade war between the world's two largest economies, writes A2 CNN.
Hegseth clarified the US position early Wednesday in an interview with Fox News, responding to the Chinese Embassy in the US, which said Beijing was ready to fight "any kind" of war.
"We are prepared," Hegseth said, adding, "Those who desire peace must prepare for war."
"We live in a dangerous world with powerful, rising countries that have very different ideologies," he said. "They are rapidly increasing their defense spending, they are modernizing their technology. They want to replace the United States," he continued.
"If we want to prevent war with the Chinese or others, we must be strong," he continued, writes A2 CNN.
The Pentagon chief also insisted that US President Donald Trump has "an excellent relationship" with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping and that cooperation and partnership between them will continue where possible.
Hegseth stressed, however, that his role as Secretary of Defense was to ensure readiness for any potential confrontation between the countries.
Recall that China warned late Tuesday that it would respond if the US continues with a trade or tariff war, following Trump's decision to double tariffs on Chinese imports, from 10% to 20%. (A2 Televizion)
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