US Secretary of Defense James Mattis to visit China

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‍US Secretary of Defense James Mattis will visit China from June 26-28, Chinese Defense Ministry confirmed on Monday.

It will be the first visit by a US Defense Secretary since 2014.

He will meet Chinese leader and senior defense officials, the ministry spokesman Ren Guoqiang told reporters.

File photo of US military aircraft at a base in ROK. /VCG Photo

The two sides will exchange views on issues that concern both parties, Ren said, adding that stable military ties between China and the US are significant to the national interests of both countries, and fundamental to bilateral ties.

He called on the US to make efforts to build a stable military relationship.

The DPRK issue is also expected to be among the top items.

Pentagon said on Sunday that the United States will soon present a timeline to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) with "specific asks" of Pyongyang after a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un in June.

It suggested that the timeline would be rapid enough to make clear Pyongyang's level of commitment.

Mattis will later travel to Republic of Korea and Japan.

(R-L) Japan's Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera, US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis and ROK's Defence Minister Song Young-moo attend a trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the IISS Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore, June 3, 2018. /VCG Photo

Mattis will hold talks with his ROK counterpart Song Young-moo, followed by a stop Friday in Japan to see defense chief Itsunori Onodera.

Those meetings are aimed at reassuring both allies that Washington's regional defense commitment remains unchanged after Trump unexpectedly announced on June 12 that the US would suspend a major joint military exercise in ROK following his meeting with Kim.