As Chinese President Xi Jinping returns from the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), it's important to note some of the milestones that were reached.

In what was Barack Obama's final NSS, President Xi proposed "a rational, coordinated, and balanced" approach to nuclear security. In his speech, he mentioned the need for win-win cooperation, which in the West is known as a mutually cooperative G2 arrangement. Xi Jinping put forth a five-point proposal to promote international cooperation in nuclear security which includes building a network to help countries reduce uranium enrichment and the promotion of a global nuclear monitoring system.

On the other hand, American priorities were, as I predicted in my earlier column, focused mostly on nuclear terrorism and the South China Sea. "The danger of a terrorist group obtaining and using a nuclear weapon is one of the greatest threats to global security," Obama was quoted as saying in the Guardian. "There is no doubt that if these madmen ever got their hands on a nuclear bomb or nuclear material they most certainly would use it to kill as many innocent people as possible." He also brought up the possibility of an apple-sized radioactive bomb killing hundreds of thousands of people. "It would be a humanitarian, political, economic, and environmental catastrophe with global ramifications for decades. It would change our world. So we cannot be complacent. We have to build on our progress."

A less talked about issue was China-U.S. talks, with the U.S. calling for an amicable dispute settlement in the South China Sea. "Like China and other countries, the United States has significant interests in the Asia-Pacific region," President Obama said to President Xi. Xi replied that, "Our two countries have some disputes and disagreements." He also said that misunderstandings are to be avoided and core interests must be respected by both sides. This is an interesting posture, as it signifies a shift from the belligerent rhetoric of last year's summit. If this rhetoric is turned into policy, it should be welcomed by both sides.

Overall, this nuclear summit will go down in history as one of the last phases of Sino-American diplomacy and as a symbol of the understanding and benevolence that can be brought about when these two superpowers work together. Unfortunately, this is Obama's last term, and the next president, be it a Republican or a Democrat, is going to be much more hawkish in foreign policy.

Sumantra Maitra is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://www.china.org.cn/opinion/SumantraMaitra.htm

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