China and the United States of America have recently announced almost simultaneously the June 7-8 summit between President Xi Jinping and President Barack Obama at the Annenberg estate at Rancho Mirage, California, which has caught worldwide attention. No doubt, the forthcoming summit will have extraordinary importance to China-US relationship and to world stability and development.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Trinidad and Tobago, Costa Rica and Mexico and hold a meeting with US President Barack Obama at Sunnylands, the Walter and Leonore Annenberg Estate in California. This will be a new important step in the full swing of Chinese diplomacy since the new leadership took office.

After meeting with international affairs experts from Asia, Richard Weitz provides an in-depth look at how regional experts in the Asia-Pacific are reacting to the US pivot to Asia.

An earlier Xi-Obama summit, writes Qian Liwei, is expected to pave the way for a more positive, mature and predictable Sino-U.S. relations based on mutual respect, reciprocal benefit and win-win co-operation.

While tensions on the Korean Peninsula have slowly began to dissipate, Nathan Beuchamp-Mustafaga delves into the complex issue of how China uses North Korea as leverage in the U.S.-China relationship and provides policy responses for the United States.

This is a crucial moment for Sino-U.S. relations, as heated debates about the future of this relationship rage in both countries -- debates characterized by downright pessimism, with only a sliver of optimism.

The combination of the U.S. pivot to Asia and the reemergence of nationalism in Japan has created tension in the Asia-Pacific region. As China continues to feel threatened by the close relations between the U.S. and Japan, Wu Zurong points out that irritants to Sino-U.S. relations will hurt the Asia-Pacific as a whole.

The victory of Nawaz Sharif and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) – Pakistan is likely to be more focused on economic development in the future, thanks to the transformative campaign of Imran Khan and his Tehrik-e-Insat (PTI) party. That, in turn, has substantial implications over U.S. and Chinese interests in South Asia.

From nationalizing disputed territory to visiting controversial war shrines and justifying the egregious treatment of women in wartime, aggressive actions and over-the-top statements by Japanese politicians will only exacerbate future problems between China and Japan.

The close timing of visits to China by Israeli and Palestinian leaders renewed hope for peace in the Middle East. While the US has played the dominant role in past negotiations, Wu Sike argues the international community can benefit from cooperation on the issue by China and the US.