US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has become the first American defence chief in decades to accompany a sitting president on a state visit to China, in a rare departure from long-established diplomatic practice.
Hegseth boarded Air Force One bound for Beijing alongside US President Donald Trump on Tuesday afternoon, according to the White House.
Trump is set to hold highly anticipated bilateral talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday and Friday.
A South China Morning Post tally shows…