China has objected to Hegseth calling it a threat in the Indo-Pacific, the ministry added, describing his comments at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on Saturday as "deplorable" and "intended to sow division".

"Hegseth deliberately ignored the call for peace and development by countries in the region, and instead touted the Cold War mentality for bloc confrontation, vilified China with defamatory allegations, and falsely called China a 'threat'," the ministry said on its website.

"The United States has deployed offensive weaponry in the South China Sea and kept stoking flames and creating tensions in the Asia-Pacific, which are turning the region into a powder keg," the ministry added in the statement.

Hegseth had called on allies in the Indo-Pacific region, including key security ally Australia, to spend more on defence after warning of the "real and potentially imminent" threat from China. 

"The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent," Hegseth said at the Shangri-La Dialogue, attended by defence officials from around the world.

Beijing is "credibly preparing to potentially use military force to alter the balance of power in the Indo-Pacific", he said.

Hegseth warned that the Chinese military was building the capabilities to invade Taiwan and "rehearsing for the real deal".

Asked about the call to boost defence spending, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said his government had pledged an extra A$10 billion to defence. 

"What we'll do is we'll determine our defence policy," he told reporters on Sunday, a transcript of his remarks showed.

As part of Washington's longstanding defence ties with the Philippines, the US military this year deployed Typhon launchers that can fire missiles to hit targets in both China and Russia from the island of Luzon.

China and the Philippines contest sovereignty over some islands and atolls in the South China Sea, with growing maritime run-ins between their coast guards as both vie to patrol the waters.

The ministry also warned the United States not to "play with fire" on the Taiwan question.

In his speech at Asia's premier forum for defence leaders, military officials and diplomats, Hegseth said any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan "would result in devastating consequences".

China has vowed to "reunify" with the separately governed island, by force if necessary. Taiwan's government rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.

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