Rivals U.S. and China Find Common Ground - Stopping N. Korea

The U.S. bombing of Syria overshadowed a significant two-day meeting late last week between Chinese President Xi Jin Ping and President Donald Trump. 

It was the first official meeting of the two rivals. President Trump said he was pleased with the outcome of his time with China's president.

"I just want to say that President Xi and all of his representatives have been really interesting to be with. I think we have made tremendous progress in our relationship with China. My representatives have been meeting one-on-one with their counterparts from China and I think truly progress has been made," Trump said.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jin Ping suggested that both countries should stay in close contact if they expect positive results.

"During this visit, we had many in-depth dialogues and reached some important decisions which could be beneficial to China and the US. We also had the chance to know each other better. I am looking forward to more exchanges between us in the future," Xi said.

North Korea's recent missile tests were a hot topic of discussion at the summit. On "Face the Nation," Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the Chinese government has a clear understanding of the threat posed by North Korea. 

"The Chinese even themselves said that they do not believe the conditions are right today to engage in discussions with the government in Pongyang. We are hopeful that we could work with the Chinese to change the conditions in the minds of DPRK leaderships. Even China begins to recognize this presents a threat to even China's interests as well," Tillerson said.

China recently announced it would temporarily ban North Korean coal imports, a key source of income for Kim Jung Un's regime, as part of new UN-enforced punishments. 

The Chinese government is also determined to work closely with the UN to place greater restrictions on North Korean behavior. 

On military relations, President Trump confirmed the United States is willing to further strengthen cooperation with China--an important part of bilateral ties. Xi pointed out that mutual trust in military and security areas forms the basis of mutual trust between the two countries

Foreign policy and economic experts believe a vibrant, close bilateral relationship between China and the U.S. is important to the world.

"This is the most important relationship in the world. Every country in Asia would be upset if the United States and China look as though they are not able to deal with each other effectively," said former US ambassador to China Stapleton Roy.

"So it is of the utmost importance to try to have a good dialog between the two sides from the top on down. And we have started at the top, and it looks as though they're off to a good start. So let's hope we can continue that progress."

Thorny issues like currency manipulation, unfair trade deals and the South China Sea were barely mentioned publicly. Xi also invited President Trump to make a state visit to China this year, and the US president accepted. 

Both leaders also agreed to remain in close contact through meetings, phone calls and written communications.