The U.S. ‘Obviously’ Doesn’t Want to Contain China, Mattis Says
- Defense Secretary says they ‘step on each other’s toes’
- Washington ‘highly concerned’ over South China Sea features
This article is for subscribers only.
Secretary of Defense James Mattis played down tensions with Beijing, saying the U.S. was “not out to contain China” and was cooperating whenever possible, but that there would be times they would “step on each other’s toes.”
“Obviously, we’re not out to contain China. We’d have taken an altogether different stance had that been considered. It has not been considered,” he told reporters Monday on a plane en route to Vietnam.