Tillerson is on cleanup duty at State Dept.

Rex Tillerson spent much of his first week as the nation’s top diplomat smoothing relations with countries in the wake of President Trump’s tweets, phone tirades and threats that roiled allies and adversaries around the world.

Wednesday night, the White House issued a statement about a warm letter from Trump to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a day after the secretary of State met with the U. S. president.

The State Department would not comment on Tillerson’s role in drafting the letter, which thanked Xi for his congratulatory letter after Trump’s inauguration Jan. 20 and wished the Chinese people a happy Lantern Festival and prosperous Year of the Rooster.

The Chinese New Year came Jan. 28 without a mention by the White House, and the two presidents have yet to speak to each other.

Trump has offended China via Twitter and other public statements on a range of political, economic and military disputes. They include contacts with Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province; charges of unfair trade; and warnings about China’s expansion in the South China Sea.

As a result, China’s state- controlled media announced that military officials assessed a greater risk of war with the United States under the new American president.

Tillerson, who started his first day at State on Feb. 2, has smoothed things over with foreign ministers from Mexico and Australia after contentious presidential calls. He vowed to maintain good ties with other allies, according to State Department announcements.