WASHINGTON, March 20 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald

Trump has denied a New York Times report that his close ally,

billionaire Elon Musk, was due to be briefed by the Pentagon on

Friday about the U.S. military's plan for any war that might

break out with China.

"China will not even be mentioned or discussed," Trump said

in a post about the Pentagon meeting on Truth Social on

Thursday.

Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said in a post on X that the

meeting would be "about innovation, efficiencies & smarter

production."

A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity,

said the briefing for Musk would be attended by senior U.S.

military officials in the Pentagon and would be an overview on a

number of different topics, including China.

According to the New York Times report, the briefing would

include 20 to 30 slides that lay out how the United States would

fight in a conflict with China. The newspaper cited two U.S.

officials it did not identify.

Access to the closely guarded military plan would mark a

sharp expansion of Musk's role as a Trump adviser who has

spearheaded efforts to cut U.S. government spending.

It would also fuel questions about conflicts of interest for

Musk, who as the head of Tesla and SpaceX has business

interests in China and with the Pentagon.

The White House has previously said Musk will recuse himself

if any conflicts of interest arise between his business dealings

and his role in cutting federal government spending.

Washington and Beijing have had tense relations for years

over differences ranging from access to technology, trade

tariffs and cybersecurity to TikTok, Taiwan, Hong Kong, human

rights and the origins of COVID-19.