Mattis Readies Trip To China

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, who has accused China of "intimidation and coercion" in the South China Sea, is visiting Beijing this week as the countries increasingly spar over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and Beijing's expanding military presence overseas.

Mattis will be the first defence 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 US$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 denuclearisation promises made at a summit in Singapore between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. (AP)