Pressure from Beijing and the White House was believed to have led to the trip being called off, according to the mass circulation Taiwanese daily China Times, citing Chinese news portal Chinanews.

According to reports, Maj-Gen Allen was expected to visit Taiwan next month to discuss military matters. But the trip, which would most likely irk Beijing, has not been officially confirmed by the US or Taiwan.

The newspaper quoted US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage as saying that the trip was not necessary since Taiwan and the US already have good communication channels.

If the trip had gone through, it would have marked a departure from US policy, which bans Taiwan visits by US generals on duty.

Hong Kong's Ming Pao Daily News quoted political analyst George Tsai as saying that it was also likely to be Washington's way of showing its displeasure over Taiwan taking too long to finalise a weapons deals first offered in April 2001.