Defense Secretary says US is ‘prepared’ to go to war with China amid escalating trade war

Secretary of Defense Peter Hegseth has argued the US must 'prepare for war' and remain 'strong' amid tensions rising with China.

Last month, Donald Trump signed off on an order imposing 'catastrophic' tariffs to 'hold China, Mexico and Canada accountable' for their 'promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into' the US.

The order - which came into effect on March 4 after a 30-day pause - sees an additional ten percent tariff placed on all imported good from China, with the total now being 20 percent.

When it comes to China specifically, a press release from the White House claimed Chinese officials had 'failed to take the actions necessary to stem the flow of precursor chemicals to known criminal cartels and shut down money laundering by transnational criminal organizations'.

China responded to the order by announcing its own taxes of 15 percent on coal and liquified natural gas from the US, as well as a 10 percent levy on crude oil, farming equipment, and some cars.

It later added an extra 10 percent tariff on sorghum, soybeans, pork, beef, seafoods, fruit, vegetables, and dairy products and 15 percent tariff on imports of US-grown chicken, wheat, corn and cotton, as well as adding 15 US-based companies to its export control list.

The Chinese embassy in the US doubled down on the country's response to Trump's order, sharing a statement on Twitter reading: "If the US truly wants to solve the fentanyl issue, then the right thing to do is to consult with China by treating each other as equals.

The Chinese Embassy in the US says the country is 'ready' for 'any type of war' with the US (Twitter/@ChineseEmbinUS)

"If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end."

And US defense secretary Pete Hegseth has since responded to the warning, noting the US is also 'prepared' to go to war with China despite arguing Trump has a 'great relationship' with China's President Xi Jinping.

Hegseth told Fox News' Fox and Friends 'those who long for peace must prepare for war,' nodding to the US' 'rebuilding' of its 'military'.

The defense secretary continued: "That's why we're rebuilding our military. That’s why we’re re-establishing deterrence in the warrior ethos.

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said the US is also 'prepared' for war (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

"We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries with very different ideology.

"They’re rapidly increasing their defense spending, modern technology, they want to supplant the United States."

Hegseth resolved: "If we want to deter war with the Chinese or others, we have to be strong."