By David Brunnstrom, Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held his first conversation with his Chinese counterpart and stressed that the United States does not seek conflict with China, but will protect its vital interests in the Asia-Pacific region, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
China is Washington's main geopolitical rival and Hegseth angered Beijing in May when he urged regional allies to spend more on defense after warning of the "real and potentially
imminent" threat from China.
Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said Hegseth and Chinese Defense Minister Admiral Dong Jun held their "candid and constructive" call on Tuesday.
"Secretary Hegseth made clear that the United States does not seek conflict with China nor is it pursuing regime change or strangulation of the PRC (People's Republic of China)," he said.
"At the same time, however, he forthrightly relayed that the U.S. has vital interests in the Asia-Pacific, the priority theater, and will resolutely protect those interests."
Parnell said the two agreed to additional discussions.
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Defense to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress. The new name would apply to Hegseth as well, altering his title to "Secretary of War."
The talks followed a major military parade last week at which Chinese leader Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, sparking concern among some world leaders that they were bearing witness to an important geopolitical shift, although some experts question this.
Trump responded by saying that Xi, Putin and Kim were conspiring against him. A U.S. official said Trump was "disappointed to see some countries siding with the Chinese" and that "America is going to re-evaluate" the situation.
China's state-run news agency Xinhua said Tuesday's video call was held at Hegseth's request. It said Dong urged Hegseth to maintain communication and an open attitude, and to foster stable and positive military ties based on "equal respect, peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect."
Xinhua also cited Dong as saying China was committed to working with regional countries to maintain peace and stability in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway where China and other states have rival claims, and opposes "the infringement and provocation of certain countries and the deliberate incitement of countries not in the region."
The State Department said U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke on Wednesday with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in a follow-up to their meeting in Malaysia in July and "emphasized the importance of open and constructive communication on a range of bilateral issues."
The July meeting was described by both sides at the time as positive and constructive, despite tension over Trump's global tariff offensive, in which China has been a major target.
In August, Washington and Beijing extended a partial truce for 90 days, staving off even higher duties, but on Tuesday Trump urged EU officials to hit China with tariffs of up to 100% as part of a strategy to pressure Putin over the war in Ukraine, according to a U.S. official and an EU diplomat.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu and Daniel Wallis)
