Pompeo and Mattis hold joint press conference following US-China talks

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are slated to hold a joint press conference to discuss US-China relations with Yang Jiechi and Wei Fenghe at the State Department on Friday afternoon. This presser comes in light of growing trade tensions between the two countries.

The talks were supposed to be held in Beijing last month, but were postponed after the Trump administration announced new arms sales to Taiwan and two U.S. and Chinese vessels almost came close to colliding in the South China Sea.

These talks are a predecessor to a meeting scheduled to happen at the end of the month between President Donald Trump and China’s president Xi Jinping in Argentina.

Among the growing trade dispute between the two countries, the two leaders are likely to discuss issues such as dealing with North Korea, and how to better serve their respective constituents. The U.S. is also planning to ask for China’s help in controlling the distribution of fentanyl, a synthetic form of opioids which is causing a surge of drug-related deaths across the United States.

Friday’s meeting will be followed by a joint news conference.