President Xi Jinping embarked on a trip on Tuesday that took him to Finland, from where he will fly to Florida on Thursday to meet with US President Donald Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort. The first Xi-Trump meeting is not just about two top leaders comparing notes; it will also help to stabilize political relations between China and the United States.

The two countries have extensive shared interests as well as underlying disparities which, if not addressed, could lead to confrontations. To avoid the Thucydides trap, China and the US should make extra efforts to increase benign interactions between their militaries, as they play vital roles in the two countries' diplomatic designs.

It is also important that Washington drop some of its unnecessary concerns about Beijing's growing defense capability. Thanks to its robust rise in recent decades, China has become increasingly capable of pursuing defense-oriented military development. And it has good reason to do so.