Mattis positive on China talks set to discuss North Korea

BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his Chinese counterpart struck a positive note as they sat down Wednesday to tackle the thorny issue of how to get North Korea to fulfill a pledge to abandon its nuclear program.Mattis said he and Defense Minister Wei Fenghe opened discussions in Beijing with a "very open and honest dialogue."Wei said the visit is important to increase strategic trust and enhance the cooperation between them. Neither mentioned specific issues but North K