Taipei, Dec. 7 -- Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth on Sunday reiterated that the United States has no intention of altering the status quo in Taiwan, stressing that the focus is on defence and deterrence rather than confrontation with China, Taipei Times reported, citing CNA.

Speaking at the Reagan National Defence Forum in Simi Valley, California, Hegseth outlined four core missions for the Department of Defence.

These include protecting the US homeland, deterring China through strength, increasing allied burden-sharing, and rebuilding the defence industrial base.

On US-China relations, Hegseth emphasised that the Trump administration seeks stable peace, fair trade, and mutual respect between the two nations. He noted that recent high-l...