TRUMP was forced to deny that Elon Musk was invited to join top-secret briefings on plans for a war with China.
Musk was summoned to the Pentagon where, according to officials cited by the New York Times, Trump intended to discuss the “top secret” strategy for a US-China conflict, if it ever happened.
ReutersMusk was called to the Pentagon to discuss US strategy for a war with China, according to reports[/caption]
ReutersChina’s army is more than 2million-strong[/caption]
AlamyChina, under Xi Jingping, has warned it is ready for ‘any type’ of war with America[/caption]
This is how the US and China stack up militarily
Such a war would be devastating for both sides, facing off the world’s largest army from China against the world’s largest defence budget in the US.
Xi Jingping commands an army of 2.1million active forces, compared to the US’s 1.3million, though America has superior equipment stocks.
China has warned it is ready for “any type” of war against America, after Trump slapped higher tariffs on its goods earlier this month.
But Trump rubbished the reports about the meeting, insisting “China will not even be mentioned or discussed” in the meeting planned for Friday.
Musk slammed the story as “false information” and even made threats against the staff behind the leak.
And Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth wrote on X: “This is NOT a meeting about ‘top secret China war plans.’ It’s an informal meeting about innovation, efficiencies & smarter production. Gonna be great!”
Despite the denials, the reports have sparked speculation that Musk has indeed been invited into the heart of America’s classified security discussions.
The leak came from two US officials talking to the NYT anonymously, and was later separately confirmed by the Wall Street Journal.
They claimed that Musk was to sit down with senior US military officials to overview a range of topics.
The briefing reportedly would include 20 to 30 slides laying out how the US would fight in a conflict with China.
A third official confirmed the meeting was to be China-focused, but gave no more details.
It’s unclear whether the scheduled meeting will go ahead.
Musk’s position at the head of DOGE has nothing to do with national security policy, so if correct the reports mark a major expansion of his role.
It also poses a potential conflict of interest, as the billionaire has business interests both in China and the Pentagon.
GettyA Chinese submarine launches a missile in an offshore exercise[/caption]
ReutersChinese President Xi Jinping commands an army of over 2million active forces, and there are fears he plans to invade Taiwan[/caption]
A gigafactory in Shanghai is the largest producer of his Tesla cars, pumping out almost a million each year.
The claims, aired on Thursday, provoked a round of furious denials from those involved.
Trump’s Truth Social post on Thursday said: “They said, incorrectly, that Elon Musk is going to the Pentagon tomorrow to be briefed on any potential ‘war with China.’
“How ridiculous?’ China will not even be mentioned or discussed. How disgraceful it is that the discredited media can make up such lies. Anyway, the story is completely untrue!!!”
Musk wrote on X: “The New York Times is pure propaganda,” in the early hours of Friday morning.
He added: “Also, I look forward to the prosecutions of those at the Pentagon who are leaking maliciously false information to NYT. They will be found.”
Trump vehemently denied the reports about the planned content of Friday’s meeting
ReutersIf the reports are correct, they would signal a major expansion of Musk’s role in government[/caption]
Sean Parnell, the Pentagon’s chief spokesperson, said: “The Defense Department is excited to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday.
“He was invited by Secretary Hegseth and is just visiting.”
He later blasted the “100 percent fake news“, adding: “[It is] just brazenly and maliciously wrong. Elon Musk is a patriot. We are proud to have him at the Pentagon.”
China vowed earlier this month that it was ready for “any type of war” against the States after Trump inflicted crippling trade tariffs on the country.
On March 4, tariffs on goods coming from China into the UIS doubled to 20 percent.
Trump promised more tariffs would follow in early April, including “reciprocal tariffs” and non-tariff actions addressing years of trade imbalances.
China’s foreign affairs ministry shot back with a chilling warning.
It said: “If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we’re ready to fight till the end.”
As the US drifts from Europe over Ukraine, experts fear that China will exploit the fragmentation and launch an attack on Taiwan.
Fears are that the weakening of Western alliances and the unpredictability of US foreign policy under Donald Trump could create the perfect atmosphere for Beijing to trigger an invasion.
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
TAIWAN insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing’s control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington’s foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation
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