Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth and US Pacific Command head Admiral Samuel Paparo may visit China “soon,” according to Stephen Orlins, president of the non-profit National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR). Orlins disclosed the potential visit during a video address on Friday at a conference in Sanya, Hainan province.
Orlins stated that the prospective visit would be critical to regularising military-to-military communication between Beijing and Washington. The former US diplomat warned that the South China Sea, rather than Taiwan, has become the flashpoint most likely to trigger an accidental military clash. Orlins asked both governments to regularise military-to-military contact at every level to ensure that when mistakes happen, the sides can have immediate discussions to de-escalate. He noted, “I understand that Secretary of War Hegseth and Admiral Paparo may soon visit China. This is very useful to establish that contact.”
The South China Morning Post learned that both sides have been in talks in recent months for a potential China visit by the US defence secretary, possibly before the end of the year. Sources previously told the SCMP that Washington had been preparing for separate visits to China by Hegseth and Elbridge Colby, the undersecretary of defence. Reciprocal visits by Hegseth and Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun had also been discussed since Xi Jinping and Donald Trump met in Washington in September.
If confirmed, Paparo’s visit would be the first trip to China by a US Pacific command chief since 2015. Paparo, who took his post in May 2024, has advocated for a sharp deterrence posture, including a so-called "hellscape strategy" he previously outlined involving thousands of autonomous drones to deter the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The Pentagon and US Pacific Command stated they had no announcements to make regarding the visits. Meanwhile, Hegseth faces mounting calls to resign or face impeachment following Republican losses in the midterm elections, which were driven by public outrage over the war in Iran and fuel prices. Outgoing Republican House representative Thomas Massie called for an impeachment vote next week, stating on Tuesday that he would not reintroduce the articles if Hegseth resigned. Hegseth responded in a video post on Thursday, saying he would “not back down” and that the calls “will not work.”
