Mattis Cautious Ahead of Security Talks With China: 'I Want to Go In and Do a Lot of Listening'

Speaking to reporters on his plane Sunday en route to a stop in Alaska, Defense Secretary James Mattis laid out his plans with China.

Mattis said he wants more open dialogue with Chinese leaders as he travels to Asia this week for talks with Chinese military leaders.

"I want to go in right now without basically poisoning the well at this point. I'm going there to have a conversation," said Mattis. "I do not want to immediately go in with a certain preset expectation of what they are going to say. I want to go in and do a lot of listening."

Tensions between the US and China have been high after Mattis slammed Beijing at an international conference for its militarization of islands in the South China Sea about a month ago.

China recently has deployed anti-ship missiles, surface-to-air missiles, electronic jammers and other equipment on the Spratly Islands and landed a bomber aircraft at Woody Island.

China says it is within its rights to build up defenses on islands in the South China Sea that it believes are its sovereign territory.

Mattis said he plans to work with China's leaders on a plan to secure the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

"On our relations with China, obviously we're reviewing our military-to-military relationship to make sure it's aligned within our larger strategic framework," Mattis said.

Mattis said Sunday that the Pentagon cancelled two Marine military exchanges as well as the larger Ulchi Freedom Guardian exercise this fall. He explained the Defense Department considered the cancellation to be consistent with what President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed on at the summit about two weeks ago.

This is Mattis' first trip to China, both personally and as defense secretary. He said he has been in Hong Kong several times.

While in Alaska, Mattis will visit one of America's missile defense systems at Fort Greely, the strategic missile interceptors.

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) flew with Mattis from Washington and is expected to go to Fort Greely with him.

The Pentagon plans to increase the number of interceptors from 44 to 64, 20 of which will be located at Fort Greely.