A commercial complex on the seedier side of Waikiki is being swept of its tenants, and the aim is evident: The landlord doesn’t want trouble. And trouble was often brewing outside the 2270 Kuhio Ave. property, where there are reported nightly fights and drug-dealing. Last fall an altercation left one man dead of a gunshot wound.

The neighbors seem relieved to be part of the gradual gentrification of Kuhio that’s been ongoing for several years. But what they may miss is the mom-and-pop character of small restaurants and shops. Let’s hope Kuhio becomes safer, but not too glossy.

RIMPAC welcomes back China for 2018

Amid ongoing South China Sea provocations, it’s encouraging to hear news that the People’s Liberation Army Navy is now in the lineup for this summer’s Rim of the Pacific exercise off Hawaii, which gets underway in late June. The last RIMPAC exercise, which included 26 nations, 25,000 personnel, 45 ships, five submarines and more than 200 aircraft, was billed as opportunity to assemble in “positive, constructive ways.” China sent five vessels to the 2016 event.

Here’s hoping that the upcoming exercise will help fine-tune viable lines of communication among the U.S., China and other nations.