NCUSCR President Orlins: U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth and Indo-Pacific Commander Paparo May Visit China Soon
SANYA — U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, may travel to China in the near future, Stephen Orlins, president of the National Committee on United States-China Relations (NCUSCR), said in a video address to a security conference in Sanya, Hainan, the South China Morning Post reported on November 7.
Orlins, a longtime observer of U.S.-China relations, raised the possibility at a gathering in Sanya attended by several hundred Chinese officials, foreign diplomats and legal experts, where regional security issues including the South China Sea were discussed. The report gave no dates or itinerary for any visit.
As of publication, neither the U.S. Department of War nor China's Ministry of National Defense has confirmed or announced any China travel by Hegseth or Paparo; the visit Orlins described remains a public remark by the head of a non-governmental organization at a conference.
Washington and Beijing have maintained military communication channels in recent years. President Trump is scheduled to visit China in November, and whether senior defense officials accompany him or arrange separate high-level military contact is being watched as a signal of where the military relationship is heading; if it happens, it would be the first China visit by this administration's secretary of war.
(Source: South China Morning Post)
Source: South China Morning Post
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：战争部长 Pete Hegseth 官方肖像。公共领域，美国战争部照片，本站档案图复用。 / Photo: Official portrait of Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. Public domain, U.S. Department of War photo, GSM archive reuse.
