China a 'pacing threat,' preparing for Taiwan invasion: U.S. official

Washington, June 10 (CNA) 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.

"Our pacing threat is Communist China," Hegseth testified Tuesday before the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee during an oversight hearing with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine.

"Beijing is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of its broader strategy to dominate that region and then the world," Hegseth said, warning that if it succeeds, it could derail American reindustrialization and strangle the U.S. economy.

Hegseth also emphasized U.S. President Donald Trump's "peace through strength" strategy and called for revitalizing the stagnant U.S. defense industrial base.

"China is undertaking a historic military buildup and actively rehearsing for an invasion of Taiwan," he said, adding that only by having the world's most powerful and lethal military -- focused on protecting key U.S. interests -- can the U.S. effectively deter adversaries and win a potential conflict.

Meanwhile, Caine said 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.

"These aggressive maneuvers are not routine exercises, they are rehearsals for a forced unification," he said.

Their comments aligned 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, according to a Financial Times report.