Pentagon chief may visit China for first time in eight years

The Pentagon is planning to send a senior delegation to Beijing in the coming weeks to lay the groundwork for a possible visit by Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, according to people familiar with the matter.

The delegation is expected to be led by Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defence for policy and a key figure behind the 2026 National Defence Strategy, the sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to comment publicly, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The trip is intended to advance defence-level engagement between Washington and Beijing, including preliminary arrangements for a potential visit by Hegseth. However, the sources stressed that no final timetable has been set for such a visit.

The planned outreach follows US President Donald Trump’s state visit to China last week, during which Hegseth accompanied the president as part of the official delegation. His inclusion marked the first time in decades that a sitting US defence secretary has joined a presidential state visit to China.

Hegseth’s participation also made him the first Pentagon chief to travel to China in nearly eight years, underscoring a cautious but notable reopening of high-level military dialogue between the two countries after a prolonged period of strained ties.

During the Beijing summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked the “Thucydides trap” in discussions with Trump, reflecting ongoing strategic competition even as both sides explore limited channels for engagement.

By Aghakazim Guliyev