So far in his first Asia tour in the capacity of a U.S. president, Donald Trump has, as expected, placed the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue high on his agenda.
He talked in Japan of "maximum pressure" on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) over its nuclear program, and his trip in South Korea, though dropping off a visit to the demilitarized zone separating north and south, is not without stern warnings to Pyongyang.
Most of the international community backed sanctions as punishment for the DPRK's repeated violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, but it is hard to rally support for using military means to resolve the ongoing crisis.
That's because nearly everybody knows there is no winner should a war break out there -- A nuclear war.
As a next-door neighbor to the DPRK and also a proven stabilizer for the Asia-Pacific and beyond, China has made it clear it wants a nuclear-free, peaceful Korean Peninsula and it has made strenuous efforts for years toward that goal.
For the United States, its policy toward Pyongyang has changed time and again in the last two decades following every change of the host in the White House.
Given that the DPRK has already crossed the nuclear threshold and is moving faster in its pursuit of nuclear capabilities, and the fact that the DPRK cites U.S. animosity as the reason to develop nuclear deterrence, Washington should have strong incentives to act now to de-escalate mounting tensions in the Korean Peninsula, for its own security and that of the region.
The first step to ramp off pressure is to resist the urge for any unilateral actions that may further aggravate the situation.
But it does not mean simply sit and watch as the world could not afford waiting any longer to prevent a possible nuclear proliferation catastrophe.
For Washington, measures toward a positive change regarding the issue would be to put an end to conflicting voices between different sectors of policy-making and present a unified stance.
What is equally important is to keep its lines of communications to Pyongyang in good shape so that they could be used when miscalculations or misperceptions loom.
It is also desirable that Washington be willing to share information more with Beijing over the issue, building on the good momentum of bilateral communication spearheaded by leaders of both countries.
There is no denial that China and the United States have their differences regarding specific approach toward the ultimate goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, but in a bigger picture, the two sides enjoy vast common interest in safeguarding regional peace and stability.
With tensions on the Korean Peninsula running at an unprecedented level, it is more than imperative for the two major global players to set aside their differences and work hand-in-hand to defuse the Korea peninsula nuclear crisis that rattles the nerves of the whole world, and bring the issue to the negotiation table as early as possible.
