TEHRAN, June 24 - U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is visiting Beijing this week as the countries increasingly spar over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Beijing's expanding military presence overseas.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Mattis will be the first defense secretary in President Donald Trump's administration to visit China.
His trip highlights the need for the U.S. and its chief rival in East Asia to engage each other despite increasingly stark differences and mutual suspicion.
Mattis' mission comes at a difficult time as the Trump administration is set to start taxing $34 billion in Chinese goods in two weeks while Beijing has vowed to retaliate with its own tariffs on U.S. products.
The U.S. appears likely to rely on China for help getting North Korea to deliver on denuclearization promises made at a summit in Singapore between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Source: AP
Your Comment