BEIJING—U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis met Wednesday with Chinese President Xi Jinping in an attempt to find common ground on security issues, but appeared to agree to disagree over the South China Sea.
The visit came as the Trump administration signaled Wednesday that the U.S. wouldn’t harden its position in the burgeoning economic conflict between the U.S. and China. The subject of trade came up briefly during Mr. Mattis’s visit, but aides said he aimed to keep the conversation focused on security issues and didn’t carry...