US Eyes High-Level Security Mission to China
The mission is expected to be spearheaded by Elbridge Colby, the US undersecretary of defense for policy and a principal architect of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, according to the report, which drew on unnamed sources familiar with the matter. No timeline for a subsequent Hegseth visit was disclosed.
The planned outreach follows President Donald Trump's three-day trip to Beijing last week — during which he held a series of meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping covering trade, bilateral relations, and Taiwan. Hegseth accompanied Trump on that visit, which marked the first time a sitting US president and defense secretary had traveled to China together since the normalization of bilateral ties.
However, the path to a Hegseth visit faces a significant obstacle. UK-based media reported Thursday that China had "signalled that it cannot approve a visit until Trump decides how he will proceed" with a stalled $14 billion weapons package for Taiwan — a deal encompassing missiles and air defense interceptors that has languished at the State Department for months.
Beijing made its position unambiguous. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun, speaking at a regular press briefing in Beijing, said China's opposition to US arms sales to Taiwan remains "consistent and clear."
Tensions sharpened further after Trump said Wednesday he intended to speak with Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te regarding the frozen arms deal — a disclosure that drew a sharp rebuke from Beijing. Guo reiterated that China's stance on official US-Taiwan exchanges and arms transfers was "consistent, clear and firm."
Lai said Thursday he would welcome such a conversation with Trump.
Guo went further, issuing a direct call to Washington to course-correct.
"Act on the important common understandings reached at the China-US summit, honor its commitments and statements, handle the Taiwan question with actual prudence, stop sending wrong signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces, and take concrete actions to uphold peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait as well as the steady development of China-US relations," Guo said.
Neither Washington nor Beijing has officially confirmed Colby's anticipated visit. China regards Taiwan as its "breakaway province," a characterization Taipei has firmly rejected since asserting its independence in 1949.
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