Possible to be good partners if things are straightened out

United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's first visit to China has two purposes among others that are equally important - arranging for a meeting between the Chinese and US presidents, and maneuvering further consensus on responding to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear/missile stunts.

A meeting between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump would serve the imperative need for ironing out bilateral ties ruffled repeatedly by the disruptive, sometimes confusing, postures of the recently inaugurated Trump team. Both the lingering sense of uncertainty regarding China-US relations and the dangerous state of affairs on the Korean Peninsula call for one.

Xi and Trump have talked twice on the phone, providing a timely sense of clarity when suspicions threatened to mislead policy choices. But talking face to face will certainly be more conducive to the kind of constructive interaction the relationship badly needs at this critical crossroads.