U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth welcomes Singapore's Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (not pictured) at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 9, 2025. REUTERS/Annabelle Gordon/File Photo

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made clear to his Chinese counterpart, Dong Jun, that the United States does not seek conflict with China but will protect its vital interests in the Asia-Pacific, a Pentagon spokesman said on Wednesday.

"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)," Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement about the Tuesday phone call.

"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."

The talk was "candid and constructive" and Hegseth and the Chinese minister agreed to additional discussions, Parnell said.

(Reporting by Susan Heavey, Katharine Jackson; Editing by Doina Chiacu)