Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has told Beijing that Washington does not want conflict but will defend its Asia-Pacific interests US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has held his first phone call with China’s minister of national defense, Admiral Dong Jun, telling him that Washington does not seek conflict, the Pentagon announced on Wednesday. The conversation comes amid strained ties as Washington has described Beijing as its main geopolitical rival. In May, Hegseth claimed that “the threat