Mattis becomes first Pentagon leader to visit China since 2014

Jim Mattis was due to arrive in Beijing Tuesday during the first visit to China of a US Defense Secretary in four years, while the Trump administration is trying to repel the country's growing economic and military influence .

Mattis, who plans to visit also South Korea and Japan, is expected to urge Chinese leaders to continue their cooperation on the North Korean nuclear program, despite tensions between the world's two largest economies, trade in Taiwan. Before leaving for Asia Sunday, Mattis said that he intended to "have a conversation".

"I want to go now without poisoning the well at this point," Mattis told reporters. "I want to come in and do a lot of listening."

The trip comes as President Donald Trump prepares to impose tariffs and investment restrictions to counter what the White House calls China's "economic aggression." At the same time, security conflicts have built up between the two sides. The Defense Ministry has described China as a "strategic competitor" and canceled the country's participation in annual international military exercises that begin this week near Hawaii.

"Full confrontation"

Still, Trump needs the help of Chinese President Xi Jinping to keep North Korea engaged in disarmament negotiations. Xi welcomed Kim Jong Un to Beijing last week – the North Korean leader's third trip to China since March – in a demonstration of China's long-standing influence as China's first trading partner and ally. country war.

Prior to Mattis' visit, Chinese state media said the dialogue was necessary to ensure that disputes do not become hot spots. "While it's natural for major countries like China and the United States to have areas of competition, both should have the wisdom and political will to control their rivalry, so the worst scenario of a full-fledged confrontation can be avoided, "the English newspaper China Daily said in an editorial Monday.

Since Xi Chuck Hagel, Mattis's predecessor in 2014, has launched a second aircraft carrier and announced plans to build a "world class" military power by 2050. The Trump administration has replaced the "pivot" Barack Obama's "Asia" by an "Indo-Pacific" policy that aims to bring India into the framework of regional security as a counterweight to China.

Global policeman

Oh Ei Sun, Senior Advisor for International Affairs at the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute in Kuala Lumpur, said China was looking for Mattis' advice on Trump's defense and foreign policy objectives . "The strategic position of the United States vis-à-vis China, and even large parts of the world, is undergoing a major paradigm shift – from a global police officer to a more trade-oriented one. ". I said.

The arrival of Mattis is part of a series of diplomatic visits since Trump held an unprecedented summit with Kim two weeks ago in Singapore. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Beijing to inform Chinese leaders of the visit in the days following the meeting.

While China has pledged to play a "constructive" role in the talks, the country has also urged the UN Security Council to review sanctions against the Kim regime to facilitate negotiations. Trump also suggested that his attempts to pressure China on trade might make it less cooperative in his "maximum pressure" campaign against North Korea.

Commercial dispute

The defense secretary was due to leave Thursday in Seoul, where he would likely face questions about Trump's decision to halt joint military exercises with South Korea. He will then travel to Japan, the United States' closest ally in the region, before returning to Washington.

Mattis was also likely to respond to US concerns over the latest measures taken by China to impose its control over the disputed South China Sea, including the deployment of military aircraft and missile batteries. Speaking at the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore earlier this month, Mattis said such actions pushed the US to reconsider its "cooperative stance" towards China and warned that Beijing risks "greater consequences" long-term.

The Defense Department is facing increasing pressure from US lawmakers to increase military support for Taiwan's democratically governed island, which China sees as a province. The Pentagon also protested cases of American pilots wounded by lasers. denied by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

Graham Webster, senior researcher at the Paul Tsai China Center at Yale Law School, said the key question was whether Trump's tariff actions would lead Beijing to link economic issues with security cooperation. "If they do, I think it's a sign that relations between the United States and China are going to be for a whole lot more complete of moguls," Webster said.

– With the help of Peter Martin and David Tweed