US Secretary of State Tillerson In China To Discuss North Korea, Donald Trump’s Upcoming Visit

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson today met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and other officials on issues including trade, North Korea and preparations for an anticipated visit by President Donald Trump to China in November.

Tillerson told top Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi that Trump and Xi had developed a "very regular and close working relationship". His visit, Tillerson said, also provided an opportunity to assess progress made between the sides since Xi and Trump met in April at the US president's estate in Florida. Tillerson is making his second visit as secretary of state to the world's second largest economy and chief American rival for influence in Asia, and increasingly, the world.

Along with Xi and Yang, he met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who told Tillerson that China-US relations "overall have a positive momentum and have arrived at an important opportunity to progress further."

Neither Tillerson nor the Chinese officials mentioned North Korea in opening remarks made in the presence of journalists.

Ties between Beijing and Washington are considered more crucial than ever with the standoff over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles entering a new, more dangerous phase as its leader, Kim Jong Un, and Trump exchange personal insults and threats of war with no sign of a diplomatic solution.

Trump has been pressing for tougher measures on Pyongyang from China, the North's chief trading partner and source of aid and diplomatic support. Although adamantly opposed to steps that could bring down Kim's regime, Beijing has helped take steps to tighten the screws on Pyongyang, and agreed to tough new United Nations sanctions that would substantially cut foreign revenue for the isolated North.

Still, Washington hopes China will exert even greater pressure, even while Beijing says the impasse cannot be solved by sanctions alone and calls on Washington to cool its rhetoric and open dialogue with Pyongyang.

Other than North Korea, the US and China have other security concerns to address. They remain at odds over Beijing's military buildup and assertive claims to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

Tillerson is also expected to restate concerns about China's massive trade surplus with the USD 347 billion last year and what American companies say are unfair barriers to investment, including pressure to hand over their technology.

Washington wants Beijing to make good on its promise to let market forces have a bigger role in its economy, give equal treatment to foreign and Chinese companies and roll back state industry's dominance.

Trump's planned visit to China in November will come just weeks after Xi is expected to receive a new five-year term as leader of the ruling Communist Party.

Despite his tough criticism of China's trade practices, Trump has forged a personal connection with Xi over phone calls and while hosting him in Florida, during which they agreed on four high-level dialogues to cover various aspects. PTI