Speaking on Friday, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth reiterated the United States and our allies’ commitment to “deter aggression by Communist China” in the Indo-Pacific. This is a region of key strategic importance to the United States and China. 

. @SecDef “The United States is committed to working with our allies and partners to deter aggression by Communist China in the Indo-Pacific…” pic.twitter.com/I4ScRa30Kj

— DOD Rapid Response (@DODResponse) May 31, 2025

The Secretary of Defense said:

That seems a pretty clear statement that the United States is committed to working with “allies and partners.” So, of course, the legacy media is spinning it another way.

In what was his most assertive statement to date on Taiwan, Hegseth issued a stark warning that threats to the island from China “could be imminent.”

Chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell was quick to reply to the Wall Street Journal:

This headline is intentionally false & highly irresponsible.
Here is what the SECDEF actually said:

“Again to be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world. There’s no reason to… https://t.co/dXoZonvjUv

— Sean Parnell (@SeanParnellATSD) May 31, 2025

The X post continues:

China has been dialing its naval forces in, to be sure, but the Middle Kingdom faces some serious problems.