China warned the United States on Sunday that it “should not play with fire” over Taiwan, in reaction to a speech by Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth at a defense forum in Singapore.

In his speech Saturday, Hegseth said China is “preparing for the potential use of military force” to alter the balance of power in Asia, a region it wants to “dominate and control.”

He added that Chinese forces are improving their capabilities, training daily, to invade Taiwan.

“The United States should not try to use the Taiwan issue as a trump card to contain China and should not play with fire,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that it had lodged an official protest with the US side.

The Chinese embassy in Singapore condemned Hegseth’s speech, saying it was “steeped in provocation and incitement.”

The Shangri-La Dialogue forum brings together security and defense officials from across the continent and around the world every year. But for the first time since 2019, China did not send a senior official.

The Chinese representative, Rear Admiral Hu Gangfeng, denounced Hegseth without directly referring to “unfounded accusations” intended to “sow trouble, create divisions, incite confrontation and destabilize the Asia-Pacific.”