Mattis seeks to defuse tensions during visit to China, but gaps remain
2018-06-28 10:03:55 source：The Washington Post
June 27, 2018
BEIJING — Defense Secretary Jim Mattis held talks with Chinese officials on Wednesday, marking the first face-to-face encounter between leaders of the countries’ militaries since the United States declared Beijing to be a primary challenge to American security.
The visit, the first by an American defense chief to China since 2014, is an early test of how a new era of competition with what the Pentagon describes as a chief “revisionist power” will shape U.S.-China ties and, American officials hope, help the United States preserve its military edge.
Speaking alongside President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Mattis sought to telegraph American objectives in Asia in hopes of defusing mounting tensions over issues including Taiwan, China’s buildup in the South China Sea and President Trump’s trade policy.
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