Sunnylands, California, was a fitting venue for what turned out to be a relatively upbeat encounter in the history of US-China relations. With President Xi Jinping embarking on a decade at the helm and President Barack Obama just past the halfway point of his tenure, the timing was also good.
The leaders put away nearly eight hours of talks at the weekend, including a 50-minute one-to-one stroll round the Annenberg estate. The personal time alone justified the summit – such informality was impossible with Hu Jintao, Mr Xi’s predecessor, who never strayed from talking points.
There were signs of difficulties ahead – on cyber warfare, great power “spheres of influence”, economic imbalances and North Korea. But there was a willingness to deepen and increase the frequency of dialogue. By the end of Mr Xi’s term, China will almost certainly have overtaken the US as the world’s largest economy. It will also be closing in on America’s big military advantage. There are many reasons why it is vital the two institutionalise their conversation. If the summit itself was the message, then it was a good start.