Defense Secretary Jim Mattis laid out plans for a less contentious, more open dialogue with Chinese leaders as he travels to Asia, less than a month after he slammed Beijing at an international conference for its militarization of islands in the South China Sea. Speaking to reporters on Sunday en route to a stop in Alaska, Mattis avoided any of the sharp criticism of China that he had voiced recently. Instead, he insisted that he was going into the talks with Chinese leaders without any preconceived notions, adding he wanted to focus on larger, more strategic security issues. According to officials, a key topic of the discussions later this week will be the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the role China can play, considering its long-standing friendship with North Korea.

US defense chief seeks less contentious visit with Chinese. (2018, June 26). Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A8.