US-CHINA TALKS: At the State Department today, the United States and China begin the first of what is expected to be a regular series of consultations dubbed the “U.S.-China Diplomatic and Security Dialogue.” North Korea is expected to a major topic of discussion at the day-long event hosted by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, along with discussion of China’s military buildup and territorial claims in the South China Sea. Mattis and Tillerson are hosting Chinese foreign policy chief Yang Jiechi and Gen. Fang Fenghui, chief of the People’s Liberation Army’s joint staff department
“This discussion elevates the level of dialogue with the Chinese in a way that in our view will enable in-depth consideration in areas of cooperation,” said David Helvey, acting assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs at a briefing for reporters at the Foreign Press Center yesterday. In addition, it will allow for exchanges on “ways to manage and narrow the differences between the United States and China on a range of strategic issues that affect both the diplomatic and the defense spheres,” Helvey said.
