Hopeful signs for Sino-US summit

Until the meeting of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) was rescheduled, there was a hullabaloo over US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s plans skip the foreign ministers meeting to attend the meeting between the Chinese and US presidents. Many interpreters agreed on one point: the Trump administration was attaching more importance to relations with China than those with Nato.

While this may be an overinterpretation since the relationships are hardly comparable, it does reveal the truth that Beijing and Washington share an eagerness to boost their ties. The new administration in Washington has a lot to talk about with its Nato allies. But the first face-to-face meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, is charged with charting a co-operative course for a relationship that is more difficult to define and manage.

Considering the vicissitudes in bilateral ties after Trump took office — including his tough talk and the phone conversation he had with Taiwan’s leader, Tsai Ing-wen — the conciliatory tone adopted since, from himself as well as his secretaries of state and defence, offers optimism the two leaders can use their meeting to eliminate any lingering sense of uncertainty.

Xi has on many occasions reiterated Beijing’s aspiration for a relationship of “no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect and win-win co-operation”. Tillerson uttered the same words in Beijing, pledging commitment to a “constructive relationship”, so the meeting has good foundations to build on.

Besides exchanging viewpoints on the potentially most inflammable flashpoints in ties, the two leaders are likely to discuss the global economic situation and trade relations. In these areas, they may reach new agreements and crisis-prevention mechanisms, as good communication will be essential to steer clear of misunderstandings. Beijing, April 3.