Xi Jinping and Donald Trump have a lot to discuss during the US president’s two-day visit to Beijing. The issues include trade, climate and military tensions in the South China Sea. But one subject inevitably dominates the agenda: North Korea. While the details of the two presidents’ discussions will remain secret, the urgency of their task is clear.
The risk of a full-scale war on the Korean peninsula is higher than it has been for decades. The human consequences of any conflict are likely to be horrific. North Korea is thought to possess up to 60 nuclear weapons. Seoul, the South Korean capital, is at risk of devastation by conventional artillery. Japan is also within range of North Korean missiles, as are US military bases in the region. Mr Trump has threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea — a country of 25m people — in the event of a conflict.
If the Xi-Trump summit can cool down this heated rhetoric, it will have achieved something worthwhile. Mr Trump evidently feels that blood-curdling threats must be part of any strategy, to force North Korea off its nuclear path. But threatening words also carry risks. They make it harder for either side to modify its position without losing face. And they also increase the dangers that a small clash could escalate into a major conflict.