Tillerson lays groundwork for Trump's visit to China

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US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has concluded his second Beijing visit. He met Chinese President Xi Jinping and other senior officials on Saturday, discussing US President Donald Trump's upcoming state visit to China later this year.

President Xi told US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Saturday that he expected President Trump's upcoming visit to be "wonderful," as ties seem to warm up following tensions over how to handle the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Trump's upcoming November visit will be the third meeting between the two leaders. They have spoken on the phone on several occasions, and met at Mar-a-Lago in April and in Hamburg during the G20 summit in July.

President Xi Jinping (R) meets with his US counterpart Donald Trump to discuss bilateral ties and global hot-spot issues on the sidelines of a Group of 20 (G20) summit, in Hamburg, Germany, July 8, 2017. /Xinhua Photo

The US President has commended his friendship with Xi, but also prodded the Chinese leader in recent months to exert more pressure on the DPRK to abandon its nuclear and missile activities.

As Pyongyang's major trading partner, China has already banned textile trade and limited oil exports. With the new round of UN-backed sanctions in place, the relations between the world's greatest powers appear to be improving again.

Tillerson described the preparations for Trump's upcoming visit as "important work," during his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Wang said both sides should communicate and coordinate closely as interaction between the two countries attaches great importance to bilateral relations.

It is clear that China is optimistic about Trump's visit, and cooperation between the two countries is likely to be crucial in resolving the DPRK nuclear issue.