Mattis becomes first U.S. defense chief
to visit China under Trump
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[June 26, 2018]
By Phil Stewart and Ben Blanchard
BEIJING (Reuters) - U.S. Defense Secretary
Jim Mattis on Tuesday became the first Pentagon chief to visit China
since 2014, starting a three-day trip with a goal of improving security
dialogue with Beijing despite increasingly fraught Sino-U.S. relations.
Mattis, a former Marine general, has been highly critical of China's
muscular military moves in the South China Sea. The U.S. military even
withdrew an invitation to China to join a multinational naval exercise
which will start during Mattis' visit, upsetting Beijing.
The trip comes against the backdrop of spiraling tensions between
Beijing and Washington over trade. Beijing is also suspicious of U.S.
intentions toward self-governing and democratic Taiwan, which is armed
by the United States, though China views the island as a sacred part of
its territory.
Mattis, who was greeted with a floral bouquet as he exited his plane in
Beijing, was cautious to avoid stoking tensions when speaking to
reporters ahead of his trip. Mattis said he sought "open dialogue" at a
strategic level when he met with military officials in Beijing.

"I want to go in, right now, without basically poisoning the well at
this point, as if my mind's already made up," said Mattis, who was due
to meet U.S. embassy officials on Tuesday.
"I'm going there to have a conversation."
Such an approach would appear to be welcome in China, where widely-read
state-run tabloid The Global Times said: "Both sides should learn to be
good listeners."
"Mattis' visit suggests that the Trump administration is still willing
to hold military dialogue with China," it said in an editorial.
"Such bilateral talks will alleviate tensions between the two countries
and is better than blindly guessing the other's 'strategic ambitions.'"
Still, the Global Times was quick to list major irritants in the
U.S.-China relationship, including the U.S. decision to brand China a
strategic competitor in President Donald Trump's National Defense
Strategy.
"China has no intention or ambition to challenge US global influence. On
the contrary, Chinese are deeply concerned about Washington's
containment plans against Beijing," it said.
Taiwan is a core concern of China's when it comes to relations with
Washington.
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U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis receives a bouquet upon arrival at
an airport in Beijing, China June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Phil Stewart

Ahead of Mattis' arrival, Chinese state media said a formation of
Chinese warships has been holding daily combat drills for more than
a week in waters near Taiwan, and there have been frequent Chinese
air force exercises near the island.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters that
military-to-military relations had always been an important part of
China's ties with the United States, despite other problems the two
countries currently have.
"I believe that as long as both countries have this desire to meet
each other halfway, there are no difficulties that cannot be
overcome," Lu said.
Beijing hosted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week, and
getting Beijing's view of North Korea is expected to be high on
Mattis' agenda.
North Korean media said Chinese President Xi Jinping and Kim reached
an understanding on the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula
after discussing the outcome of the U.S.-North Korea summit.
"The People's Republic of China also want to denuclearize the Korean
Peninsula. That's their policy," Mattis said, raising the issue as
one where there was some convergence in U.S. and Chinese interests.
Still, some analysts have seen China's willingness to pressure North
Korea as waning, including with sanctions enforcement.
A senior U.S. defense official, speaking to reporters ahead of
Mattis' trip, suggested that the United States saw room for some
improvement in sanctions enforcement along China's border with North
Korea. But the official added the U.S. expected Beijing to uphold
its commitments.

(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Additional reporting by Christian
Shepherd; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
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