Tillerson must roll up sleeves in China

Symbolism matters on diplomatic occasions, and it will matter during the planned visit of US President Donald Trump to China later in 2017. However, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s current trip to Beijing must be anything but symbolic.

Rather than being a routine show of mutual goodwill to set the stage for Trump’s visit, the guest and his hosts must use their meetings to engage in candid communication to straighten at least one thing out — what each can expect from the other to ensure the situation on the Korean Peninsula does not deteriorate and spiral out of control.

Of course, trade is important. It may actually be the foremost topic addressed during the meetings, particularly as fear of a potential trade war looms large on both sides of the Pacific. Mutual assurances are indispensable for averting that scenario. But as long as both parties make room for some give-and-take on trade issues, Tillerson’s talks will be of more immediate portent if they can take some of the heat out of the peninsula’s inflammable nuclear crisis.

Both Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appear jumpy these days, but even as the two leaders exchange vows of mutual destruction few seem ready to believe their words should be taken seriously. Perhaps, but that does not mean nothing will happen. The escalating exchanges of threats and insults increase the chances of a costly miscalculation.

The latest UN sanctions need time to begin to bite. On Thursday, China announced it had ordered North Korean enterprises operating on its soil to close within 120 days. But to ensure that the worst-case outcome does not materialise while further co-ordinating their stances on the implementation of the UN sanctions to make sure they work, Beijing and Washington also need to discuss what else they can do to resolve the peninsula crisis peacefully. Beijing, September 29.