China condemns US for turning Asia-Pacific into 'powder keg'

A Chinese defense spokesman on Thursday criticized the United States for attempting to turn the Asia-Pacific region into a "powder keg", which severely undermines regional security and well-being.

Zhang Xiaogang, the Defense Ministry spokesman, made these remarks during an online news briefing in response to US military plans to establish a large, pre-positioned stockpile of weapons and logistical supplies at Subic Bay, Philippines by 2026.

Additionally, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has called for the development of the 2025 National Defense Strategy that will prioritize deterring China in the "Indo-Pacific" region, according to the statement by the US Department of Defense last week.

Zhang said that the US repeatedly uses China as a pretext to maintain its own hegemonic interests, and accused the US of trying to turn the Asia-Pacific into a powder keg and certain countries into cannon fodder, which seriously harms the safety and well-being of the people in the region.

"History has repeatedly shown that being an enemy of the US is dangerous, but being a friend could be fatal," he stressed.

"We urge relevant countries not to invite wolves into their homes or become pawns, thereby jeopardizing the hard-won peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region," Zhang said.