US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is in Beijing, marking his first trip to China as Pentagon chief. His main focus is to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, but he says he's going into talks with Chinese officials without any preconceived notions. He arrives after the US decided to drop China from joining Pacific naval exercises. The US defense secretary has been critical of China's military, some question whether his visit could lead to some agreements.

New talks with a new attitude. The US Secretary of Defense James Mattis is adopting a less confrontational tone as he landed in Beijing, his first visit to China as Pentagon chief. While on his way, Sec. Mattis says he is ready for a "conversation" with China and indicated he has an open mind.

JAMES MATTIS US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "I'm going there (China) to get what I consider to be, straight from them, what they see for a strategic relationship. So, I want to go in right now without basically poisoning the well at this point, as if my mind's already made up. I'm going there to have a conversation."

He says he wants to focus on strategic security issues rather than disputes in the South China Sea, softening his tone from last month when he criticized China's military behavior in the area, a claim China denies.

Military relations have cooled between China and US after Mattis cancelled China's invitation to the Rimpac exercise. As a warning to Beijing, US strategic bombers have patrolled the region, which prompted China to install more air-defense systems on islands.

Meanwhile, Washington's plan to sell more weapons to Taiwan has triggered strong protests from Beijing. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said military relations have always been an important part of China-US ties, despite spiralling tensions between Beijing and Washington over trade.

LU KANG SPOKESMAN, CHINESE FOREIGN MINISTRY "What's crucial is that both sides, no matter what area, can, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, expand cooperation and manage differences, to appropriately handle disputes between the two countries."

The visit also comes at a critical time for diplomacy over the denuclearization on Korean Peninsula after the Singapore summit.

China has welcomed the decision to postpone joint US military exercises with South Korea to give diplomacy a chance to work. And Mattis will visit US allies South Korea and Japan before returning to Washington.