US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth at a Fox News interview on September 3, 2025 Photo: Screenshot of Fox News

When asked about China's V-Day celebrations, including a military parade at Tian'anmen Square, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated in a Fox News interview on Wednesday local time that the US does not seek conflict with China. 

"We've been clear about that with China, Russia or others. But by being prepared, you prevent it, you ensure that American people in the homeland are safe, and demonstrations of parades are fine, but they don't hopefully manifest in actually military conflict," Hegseth said during the interview. 

The US defense chief also claimed that the US and Chinese leaders have a great relationship and they "leverage that in hoping to find ways that we can work together."

The US defense chief also emphasized that their job is to maintain the US military advantages in space, in the skies, in the sea, under the sea, and with long-range fires and so on. 

In his response to the question, he further noted, "President Trump has charged us at the Defense Department to be prepared to rebuild our military in historic ways to restore the warrior ethos and reestablish deterrence."

US President Donald Trump said that he was watching China's V-Day celebrations including a military parade and he thought that it was a beautiful ceremony, which was very impressive, US media reported on Thursday.

When asked by a reporter about the ceremony as well as the gathering of international leaders during the event, Trump said "when they did what they did, I though it was a beautiful ceremony. I thought it was very, very impressive. But I understood the reason they were doing it. And they were hoping I was watching. I was watching," US media reported.

China held a massive military parade in central Beijing on Wednesday to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, pledging the country's commitment to peaceful development in a world still fraught with turbulence and uncertainties.