The company has operations in the Middle East, Central Asia, the Asian-Pacific region and North America, but China projects account for 83% of revenue.

WSJ: Sinopec Engineering's IPO Has Skeptics

Countries with significant air power or the ability to shoot down aircraft are scattered across the region, including China, Russia and North Korea as well as key U.S. allies such as Japan and Australia.

NPR: Military Weighs Cutbacks, Shifts In Drone Programs

Akmal Shaikh, a Briton convicted of smuggling heroin into China , was executed by lethal injection in the north-western region of Xinjiang, despite pleas for a review of the man's mental health.

ECONOMIST: The world this week

It is more remarkable that North Korea is just about China's only ally, at least in the immediate region.

BBC: North Korea: A test for the Obama doctrine

TOKYO Weekend visits to a war shrine by senior officials in Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government set off angry reactions by South Korea and China at a time when nations in the region are seeking unity over North Korean threats.

WSJ: Japan War-Shrine Visits Rile Neighbors

And if a desperate North Korea started shooting missiles at its enemies in the region, how would America and China react?

ECONOMIST: North Korea

The consensus is that China shares common interests with the U.S. and nations in the region in denuclearizing North Korea.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Why China isn't helping disarm North Korea

North Korea's nuclear and missile programs constitute problems that the five parties in the region China, Japan, South Korea, Russia and the United States need to address through concerted action.

CNN: Kim Jong Un is not crazy

Tuesday's meeting between Xi and Lew came amid great misgivings in Beijing over Washington's renewed focus on the Asia-Pacific region and Washington's concerns over China's reluctance to pressure its mercurial ally North Korea and Beijing's alleged state-sponsored computer hacking.

NPR: Lew Visit Marks US-China Re-Engagement