US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a joint news conference with Japan's Defense Minister Gen Nakatani at the Ministry of Defense in Tokyo on March 30, 2025. Photo: VCG

The Chinese Foreign Ministry on Monday slammed the US' use of "China threat" rhetoric as an excuse to provoke ideological confrontation and encourage certain countries to act as "cannon fodder" for US hegemony, after US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Sunday during his first Asia trip that "warrior" Japan is "indispensable" in deterring China.

Chinese analysts said that Hegseth's visit to Japan essentially represents a strategy of "carrots and sticks" to bind Japan tightly to America's geopolitical agenda. They also cautioned Tokyo to value the hard-won warming momentum in China-Japan ties.

Hegseth called Japan on Sunday an "indispensable partner" in deterring "growing Chinese assertiveness" in the region, and he went on to say that the two share "a warrior ethos that defines our forces," according to Reuters and the Associated Press.

The Pentagon chief also announced upgrading the US military command in Japan to a new "war-fighting headquarters," per the AP.

In response to Hegseth's remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated at Monday's press briefing that China always believes that military and security cooperation between the US and Japan should not target any third country, or endanger regional peace and development. By calling China a "threat" and using it as a pretext, the US. has been instigating ideological antagonism, stoking division and confrontation, and even inciting certain countries to be the cannon fodder of US supremacy. Regional countries need to stay on high alert and guard against such practice. This year marks the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-fascist War. Japan in particular needs to learn from history and be prudent in military and security areas. The Taiwan question is purely China's internal affair. Resolving the Taiwan question is a matter for the Chinese ourselves that no one can interfere.

Guo urged certain people in the US to give up the illusion of "using Taiwan to contain China", abide by the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués with concrete actions, and honor the commitment made by the US on Taiwan-related issues. Japan committed aggression against Taiwan and exercised colonial rule over the island. It bears serious historical responsibilities to the Chinese people. Japan should abide by the principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, act prudently on the Taiwan question, and refrain from sending wrong signal to "Taiwan independence" separatist forces.

"The primary purpose of Hegseth's Asia trip is to advance the so-called Indo-Pacific strategy to form an encirclement around China," Lü Chao, an expert on East Asian studies at the Liaoning Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Monday.

However, some of his remarks were "truly baffling," Lü said, referring to his praise of bravery of the Japanese troops during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II - a statement so baffling that even Americans found it unacceptable. "This blatantly reveals his true agenda: to coax and coerce Japan into serving as America's pawn," the expert noted. 

It also sends a signal of the Trump administration - while it has prioritized addressing the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the Middle East crisis after taking office, the US still considers the Asia-Pacific region its strategic focal point and views China as a primary adversary, Lü noted. 

The US scheme, however, may not be as smoothly received as it expected. Currently, profound changes are happening in the alliance system of the US, with Washington pressurizing allies to serve its strategic interests while exerting tremendous pressure under its "America first" agenda, presenting a typical "carrots and sticks" approach to bind Japan and other allies to America's chariot, the expert said. 

Hegseth's trip to Japan followed closely after the 11th China-Japan-South Korea Trilateral Foreign Ministers' Meeting on March 22, as well as the sixth China-Japan High-Level Economic Dialogue, which was resumed after a six-year hiatus and concluded with 20 key consensus points as both sides pledged efforts to deepen economic collaboration between the two nations. 

Lü said the Ishiba administration is now facing a dilemma in balancing its ties between China and the US, with increased constraints from Washington. Meanwhile, it is reluctant to antagonize Beijing, especially given the heavy blow from the US tariffs, which has left Japan anxious to expand cooperation with China for its economic recovery. The expert cautioned Tokyo to value the hard-won warming momentum in China-Japan ties.