BEIJING (CHINA DAILY/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Until the Nato meeting was rescheduled, there was plenty of hullabaloo over the possibility of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson skipping the Nato foreign ministers meeting, originally scheduled for April 5-6, in order to attend the meeting between Chinese and US presidents.
Many analysts were unanimous on one point: The Trump administration was attaching more importance to relations with China than that with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the world's most powerful regional defence alliance.
While this may be an over-interpretation, since the relationships are hardly comparable, it does reveal the truth that Beijing and Washington share an eagerness to ballast their ties.
From cost sharing to the future orientation of the alliance, it seems the new administration in Washington has a lot to discuss with its Nato allies.
But the first face-to-face meeting between President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump is charged with charting a cooperative course for a relationship that is perhaps even more difficult to define and manage.
Considering the vicissitudes in bilateral ties after Mr Trump took office in January, including his tough talk and the phone conversation he had with Taiwan leader Tsai Ing-wen, the conciliatory tone adopted since, from himself, as well as his secretaries of state and defense, offers optimism the two leaders can use their meeting to eliminate any lingering sense of uncertainty.
A short two-day meeting is certainly not enough for all questions to be answered, but it can certainly help give a clear and constructive sense of direction to this crucial relationship.
Mr Xi has on many occasions reiterated Beijing's aspiration for a relationship of "no confrontation, no conflict, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation".
Mr Tillerson uttered the same words in Beijing, pledging commitment to a "constructive relationship", so the meeting has good foundations to build on.
Besides exchanging viewpoints on the potentially most inflammable flashpoints in ties, Mr Xi and Mr Trump will likely discuss the global economic situation and their trade relations.
In both these areas, they may manoeuvre new agreements and crisis prevention mechanisms, as good communication will be essential to steer clear of misunderstandings as the Trump team changes some of the policies of the previous administration.
No matter what issues end up being discussed, the fact is that Mr Xi and Mr Trump will get to compare notes personally.
Although the two leaders have talked twice on the phone and exchanged vows to work together for better ties, their meeting on Thursday (April 6) and Friday offers them the opportunity to step up to the plate and give substance to their words.
