General James Mattis is in Beijing for a first visit to China by a U.S. Defense Secretary since 2014.<br /> Officials say Mattis will hold talks with his Chinese counterpart as well as President Xi Jinping on Wednesday to stress the importance of Beijing's role in denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. <br />His visit comes amid deepening trade conflict between the two countries as well as strained military relations over the South China Sea and Taiwan. <br />Mattis will fly to South Korea on Thursday and Japan the next day. <br />
