Donald Trump has started trade wars with some of his closest allies as well as with Beijing arguing Canada, Mexico and China are not doing enough to stem the flow of fentanyl into the country
The US is “prepared” to go to war with China, a Donald Trump crony has admitted in a bizarre threat.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth made the comments during an appearance on Fox & Friends on Wednesday morning. He said the US was “prepared” for war after he was asked to comment on an X/Twitter post shared by the Chinese embassy in the US.
The tweet from the embassy on Tuesday said: “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight until the end.” Hegseth then replied: “Well, we’re prepared.
“Those who long for peace must prepare for war,’ he said. He added: “That’s why we’re rebuilding our military.”
“If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong, and that president understands peace comes through strength.”
Despite the fighting talk and apparent war of words between Washington and Beijing, Hegseth said Mr Trump had a “great relationship” with China’s president Xi Jinping. He added the two nations could co-operate and the president was seeking peace and opportunities.
Hegseth added: “But my job as the secretary of defence is to make sure we’re ready. We need the defence spending, the capabilities, the weapons and the posture in the Indo-Pacific, which is something we’re very much focused on.”
Beijing announced this week it would boost its defence budget to upward of 7.2 per cent as it aims to modernise its military and exert further pressure on its neighbours, such as the island state of Taiwan. It comes amid the destabilising backdrop of a trade war between the two nations.
Mr Trump sensationally announced he would double the tariffs it imposed on Chinese imports to about 20 per cent. China responded with up to 15 per cent of reciprocal tariffs on some agricultural goods from the US.
Chinese officials have argued Mr Trump is trying to use the steady flow of the deadly fentanyl drug as an excuse to impose the tariffs. Trump has blasted China for not clamping down on the drug.
He also lashed out at Canada and Mexico for not doing enough to stem the flow of the drug from both countries, something both parties have disputed. He also slapped 25 per cent tariffs on all imports from both nations at the same time he imposed the ones on China.