Pentagon chief, Chinese defense minister to meet amid US-China tensions

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is preparing to meet in Singapore with his Chinese counterpart just weeks after a meeting planned for Beijing fell apart amid growing friction between the US and China, AP reported. After Mattis arrived in Singapore on Wednesday after a visit to Vietnam, a senior Mattis aide told reporters that the meeting is set to happen on Thursday. Mattis and Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe were in Singapore for a regional meeting of defense ministers. The assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs, Randall Schriver, said the Chinese had requested the Singapore meeting. In September, China told the Pentagon that Wei would be unavailable to meet Mattis in Beijing, and that visit was cancelled.