One of the first orders of business for President Donald Trump should have been to tell China's President Xi Jinping that he would like him to quickly bring down that exorbitant surplus — and to follow that up with balanced bilateral trade accounts. That would have been in full compliance with G-20 recommendations for a balanced and stable world economy, and would have also conformed to China's proclaimed commitment to "win-win cooperation."

Such a talk would be an easy conversation to test what Trump calls his "great relationship" with China's core leader. Xi is the only person in China who can fix the trade problem as simply and quickly as he brought about a spectacular change in world's war and peace conditions on the Korean Peninsula. Xi's trade negotiators are acting on his direct orders, and nothing will be done until Xi puts on it his imprimatur.

Had Trump done a deal that Xi could not refuse — while continuing his crusade for globalization, multilateralism and a "win-win" business — the negotiating teams would have only had to decide how to increase American sales to China and how to cut China's exports to the U.S. They'd be working with specific numbers and time limits to implement their leaders' agreement.

Trump, unfortunately, missed a chance to do that. He has now embarked the U.S. on a never-ending negotiating rigmarole that will lead to a serious — and very dangerous — confrontation with China. Trump can now expect increasing difficulties in his relationship with a Chinese leader who is successfully edging American influence out in many areas of Asia and beyond.

Just as the U.S. trade team was getting ready to leave Beijing last Friday, Xi was working the phones with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

According to media reports, Xi, who made the recent inter-Korean summit possible, assured Moon of China's support for peace and cooperation. Moon, of course, needed no convincing from a Chinese leader who is taking more than a quarter of South Korean exports, and who hosts large investments and local production of Korean chaebols.