It's truly unexpected that U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth is accompanying Trump on his visit to China—this is highly unusual! On May 13, U.S. media reported that Hegseth will be joining the delegation on the trip to China. Why is Hegseth’s inclusion so extraordinary? In fact, since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the United States, there has only been one instance when a sitting U.S. president brought the Defense Secretary along during a visit to China—and that was Nixon’s historic breakthrough visit in 1972. Since then, no U.S. presidents—including Ford, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and even Trump during his first visit to China in 2017—have ever brought their Defense Secretary with them.
This time, Hegseth’s presence clearly breaks a half-century-long diplomatic norm. In terms of job responsibilities, Hegseth oversees the U.S. Department of War and holds real authority over military operations, directly managing military deployments in the Taiwan Strait, South China Sea, and Indo-Pacific regions—he is the primary architect behind U.S. military deterrence and regional security competition toward China. The Trump administration’s deliberate renaming of the Department of Defense to the “Department of War” itself sends a clear signal of aggressive confrontation. With Hegseth labeled as a hawkish figure, his appearance aboard Air Force One for this visit unmistakably indicates that the most sensitive military and security issues will be squarely on the table during the U.S.-China summit.
In the past, the U.S. has consistently maintained a separation between military and political leadership: the president handles political and diplomatic talks, while the Defense Secretary conducts separate military dialogues. It is routine for U.S. presidents visiting China to bring along secretaries of state, national security advisors, commerce secretaries, and treasury secretaries—but bringing the Defense Secretary is distinctly abnormal. However, given the current state of U.S.-China relations, military friction between the two countries is indeed real. Whether it's in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, or the U.S.-Japan alliance, military competition between China and the U.S. has increasingly come into the open.
Therefore, Hegseth’s arrival in China to participate directly in top-level leadership dialogue signifies that both sides are confronting military competition head-on. Both aim to use this high-level meeting to establish military communication mechanisms, define operational red lines, and manage potential conflicts in sensitive areas such as the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. In fact, the last time a U.S. Defense Secretary visited China was in 2018. After an eight-year gap, the return of the U.S. Defense Secretary to China could, if successful negotiations take place, greatly reduce the risk of accidental military clashes.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1865042107852874/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.