US Secretary of State also likely to discuss trade, Trump-Xi summit and tensions in South China Sea in talks with Chinese leaders during his first official trip to Beijing, analysts say
Heightened tensions over North Korea’s accelerated nuclear armaments programme, which pose a security dilemma for both Beijing and Washington, are expected to be the main focus during US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s first official visit to Beijing this weekend. The former chief executive of ExxonMobil’s trip to the Chinese capital, the first senior official in the Donald Trump administration to visit China, has been described by diplomats and pundits as the biggest test for Tillerson since he was confirmed as the United States’ top diplomat on February 1. Leaders in Beijing clearly have high hopes for Tillerson, who is tasked with “creating a positive environment” and paving the way for a much rumored summit between Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping as early as next month. The US diplomat, who also placed North Korea on the top of his agenda during visits to Japan and South Korea over the past three days, is expected to have a hectic schedule in Beijing, including meeting Xi, Premier Li Keqiang, State Councilor Yang Jiechi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. His visit comes as tensions on the Korean peninsula have reached an all-time high, with Pyongyang warning of an “actual war” and Wang Yi urging both North Korea and the US to rein in provocations to avoid a disastrous head-on collision. But privately, doubts and distrust run deep in Beijing over the predictability and reliability of Trump’s foreign policy that has yet to take shape, according to Chinese diplomats, especially its relations with China. There are also concerns over Tillerson’s ability to exert influence over the US president and former real estate mogul. “We are still scratching our heads to work out how to deal with Trump in the wake of the roller-coaster ride of China-US relations since he got elected,” one diplomat said. Trump’s protocol-breaking phone call with the independence-leaning Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen shortly after he was elected threw Beijing’s relations with Washington into disarray. After weeks in a standoff, both nations managed to stabilise their ties after Trump reaffirmed Washington’s decades-old commitment to the one-China policy during a phone call with Xi last month. Another diplomat said Trump had little regard for important traditions and past practices.“It’s like a nightmare coming true. In the Trump era, nothing seems impossible,” the diplomat said. Diplomatic observers caution against rosy expectations of breakthroughs during the talks in Beijing, citing deepening tensions between the two nations over a whole range of strategic, security and economic issues. Steve Tsang, the director of the London-based SOAS China Institute, said Tillerson’s visit would help put the two nations’ important relationship on a better footing, but it was unlikely to dispel their deep-rooted mistrust. He said the visit would also be a good opportunity for China to “ascertain Trump’s real intentions”.
