Sources say the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy could arrive in Beijing ‘within weeks’ to finalise arrangements for defence chief’s trip
3-MIN READ3-MINDewey Simin WashingtonandWilliam Zhengin Hong KongPublished: 6:00am, 21 May 2026The Pentagon is planning to send a high-level delegation to Beijing within weeks to lay the groundwork for a potential visit by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, the South China Morning Post has learned.
According to the sources, the trip was aimed at, among other things, finalising arrangements for a Hegseth visit but they did not offer a timeline for when that might happen.
Xi cites Thucydides trap to Trump during summitHegseth’s inclusion meant he was also the first US defence chief to visit China in nearly eight years, marking his first trip there since assuming the role last year.
