Although Mr Obama and Mr Xi will want to discuss some critical specific issues – among them cybersecurity, economic and trade relations, North Korea and their respective military policies – this summit is clearly aimed at creating a productive working relationship for the long term.
Mutual strategic suspicion between the US and China is significant and desperately needs to be addressed.
Still, rather than seeking to build trust – a worthy but difficult and, at best, long-term goal – a more realistic objective would be to enhance the level of mutual confidence, predictability and transparency.
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