“Despite China’s claims to the contrary, the placement of these weapons systems is tied directly to military use for the purposes of intimidation and coercion,” Mattis reportedly said during a speech on Saturday at the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, a regional security conference. The talks will be focused on “rebalancing the bilateral economic relationship” between the U.S. and China. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also said in a statement that Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross will lead the discussions and will be joined by U.S. Additional officials from the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, Energy, Agriculture and the U.S. Trade Representative will also participate in the upcoming talks. China has vowed to retaliate with tariffs of its own.

Source: Fox News June 02, 2018 17:26 UTC