Beijing: Fresh espionage allegations against Elon Musk and the Chinese establishment have triggered widespread discussion online after an independent blogger claimed that a waitress seen standing behind Musk during a state banquet in Beijing was actually a senior Chinese military officer.
Blogger Jennifer Zeng alleged that the woman photographed near Musk during a banquet hosted for Donald Trump in Beijing was Major Cheng Cheng, a battalion commander in China’s PLA Honor Guard Ceremonial Brigade. Zeng claimed the officer was disguised as service staff and was part of a covert surveillance effort targeting members of the American delegation.
The allegations surfaced after images from the banquet began circulating online. Zeng shared photographs of two women serving at the event and claimed that Chinese social media users had identified one of them as the military officer. In subsequent posts, she alleged the officer had played a role in drafting ceremonial manuals for the Chinese military and even speculated that she may have been armed beneath her dress.
OdishaBytes could not independently verify the claims. Chinese authorities have also not issued any official response to the allegations so far.
The controversy emerged days after Musk attended high-profile events in Beijing alongside leading American business executives during Trump’s China visit. Viral videos from the banquet had earlier shown Musk making animated facial expressions during the dinner, drawing significant online attention.
Born in December 1986 in Weifang, Cheng enlisted in the military at the age of 18 in 2004. “Cheng participated in building and standardizing China’s female honor guard system. She helped draft manuals and operational standards, including the Female Honor Guard Mission Procedures Manual and the Female Honor Guard Mission Standards. She has led her unit in more than 200 state-level ceremonial missions, including welcoming foreign heads of state, the 70th National Day military parade, and the centennial celebration of the Chinese Communist Party. She has been elected for two consecutive terms as a deputy to the National People’s Congress since 2018, focusing on issues such as military personnel training and veterans’ resettlement,” the blogger wrote on X.
“Her unit has also received multiple honors, including the title of “National March 8 Red Banner Collective. As of 2026, Cheng remains a battalion commander in the PLA Honor Guard Ceremonial Brigade and continues to serve on the front lines of training and major national ceremonial missions. She is regarded as the first female honor guard commander in PLA history and a key figure in institutionalizing China’s female honor guard system. The PLA Honor Guard Ceremonial Brigade, under the Beijing Garrison Command, is responsible for China’s highest-level state ceremonial duties. As its first female unit commander and current battalion-level officer, Cheng Cheng represents a milestone,” she adds.
