Top diplomats' concerted notes serve region well

Less than four weeks ago, United States Secretary of State John Kerry visited China. Now Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in the United States.

Their talks have by and large centered on the same topics - the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the South China Sea.

If the short interval between the two meetings indicates the pressing nature of the issues at hand, the ray of hope that has emerged from the talks in Washington is proof that there is always a way out of an impasse if both parties are willing to search for one.