Shangri La Dialogue Articles

Defense Secretary-designate James Mattis listens to questions from Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., about his views on women and gays serving in the military, during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

Mattis Slams ‘China’s Militarization of Artificial Features’ in South China Sea

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis called out China for militarizing “artificial features” in the South China Sea — a dig at China’s placing weapons on land features claimed by several countries that China has turned into islands.

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrives for a bilateral meeting with Vietnam's Defense Minister Ngo Xuan Lich during the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-la Dialogue, an annual defense and security forum in Asia, in Singapore, Friday, June 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Yong Teck Lim)

Mattis Expected to Call Out Chinese Militarization in the South China Sea in Singapore

SINGAPORE — Although Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is expected to discuss North Korea during his talks with allies and partners at an annual defense conference in Singapore, he is also expected to address the other 800-lb. gorilla in the room — China.