BEIJING: US Defense Secretary James Mattis arrived in Beijing on his first ever visit to China on Tuesday, aiming to find room for military cooperation as security tensions between the two superpowers edge higher.

With Washington and Beijing locked in an escalating trade war, and the Pentagon alarmed over China's placement of weapons on disputed islands in the South China Sea, Mattis said he would seek areas where the two sides share interests, including persuading North Korea to give up its nuclear arsenal.