Donald Trump has denied giving Elon Musk access to the US military’s top secret plans for any potential war with China, as the billionaire Tesla owner visits the Pentagon on Friday.

Reports suggested that Mr Musk was scheduled to receive a briefing on the contingency plans in the “Tank”, a secure conference room in the Pentagon that is typically used for high-level meetings.

Concerns were raised about the access Mr Musk would have to some of America’s most closely guarded secrets, as well as potential conflicts of interest. SpaceX and Tesla are big US military suppliers, but also have financial interests in China.

Soon after the report in the New York Times was published, Mr Trump called it “fake news” and suggested that “China will not even be mentioned or discussed” during the visit to the Pentagon. Mr Musk added that the report is “pure propaganda” and threatened those “who are leaking maliciously false information”.

Invited by Hegseth

The Pentagon said: “The defence department is excited to welcome Elon Musk to the Pentagon on Friday. He was invited by Secretary Hegseth and is just visiting.”

But the news comes amid mounting fears that China could attack Taiwan in just two years.

This week, the Taiwanese defence ministry identified 2027 as a potential date for an invasion, in a brief given to lawmakers about upcoming war games intended to simulate an attack from China’s military.

Last year, US officials also said Beijing would be ready to invade by 2027, referencing China’s build-up of fighter aircraft and warships, plus its efforts to double its inventory of ballistic and cruise missiles.

Although Wellington Koo, Taiwan’s defence minister, publicly played down the inclusion of a specific date, it is understood that the first time plans for Taiwan’s largest annual live-fire drills have earmarked a year for a Chinese invasion.