A lot at stake when Xi and Trump meet

Since both Beijing and Washington understandably want to hold their cards close to their chests until Xi Jinping and Donald Trump actually sit down to talk, it remains difficult to foretell exactly how the widely anticipated Saturday meeting between the two presidents on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka will play out.

Both sides appear intent on seeking the best possible outcome, while being prepared for the worst. For all the harshness in their respective rhetoric, both parties need some kind, or at least degree, of truce. Because both are beginning to feel the pain.

Yet ironing out the obviously substantial divergences between the two governments and sealing a wholesale deal will take time.