U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in China on June 26 for a three-day visit, becoming the first defense chief to visit China since President Donald Trump took office.
Relations between China and the United States recently have grown tense over trade disputes. Mattis, known for his criticism of China’s growing military presence in the South China Sea, will likely seek dialogue over this and other contentious diplomatic issues in Asia, such as China’s increasingly aggressive posturing over Taiwan and the denuclearization of North Korea.
