Beijing/Washington: Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to hold an unprecedented trilateral meeting next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China’s Shenzhen city, the White House has said.
China is set to host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting November 18-19, with leaders of the 21-member grouping attending the summit.
Discussions at the trilateral meeting are expected to focus on a range of global issues, including conflicts, artificial intelligence and nuclear arms reduction.
The proposed discussion on nuclear weapons comes amid concerns over the future of global arms control following the expiry of the New START treaty between the US and Russia in February.
The last remaining major bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between the two countries, it placed legally binding limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals. Its expiry has left the world’s two largest nuclear powers without such binding limits.
“The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous,” BBC quoted White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales as saying.
The Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported that the discussions could also explore possible commitments on regulating the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear arsenals as part of a broader global governance agenda.
The three countries had engaged in weeks of discussions to finalise the agenda and protocol for the talks, the report said.
Iran is another potential subject of discussion at the trilateral meeting. China is Iran’s largest trading partner and the biggest buyer of its crude oil, giving Beijing a significant economic stake in the conflict involving Tehran.
A senior US official said the war in Ukraine would not figure in the trilateral discussions, as Washington was pursuing a separate negotiating track with Moscow on the conflict.
China has maintained close economic ties with Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Bilateral trade has expanded despite Western sanctions against Moscow, with Beijing emerging as an important economic partner for Russia as it faces growing isolation from Western markets.
No bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled, and Washington has no plans to engage with North Korea during the trip, according to the White House.
Trump will arrive in Shenzhen late on Wednesday for the two-day APEC summit.
He will also hold bilateral talks with Xi on Thursday. It will be their fourth meeting since Trump returned to office in 2025, according to the BBC. It will also be their third meeting this year.
Trump visited Beijing in May this year and held wide-ranging talks with Xi. He also hosted the Chinese president in Washington in September during a state visit.
Despite efforts by Trump and Xi to maintain stable relations through their meetings in Beijing and Washington this year, several major differences remain unresolved, including trade disputes, competition over artificial intelligence and tensions over Taiwan.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Friday that China was in communication with the US and Russia on the proposed trilateral meeting.
Mao said the theme for the APEC summit is “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together”.
“We look forward to working with all parties to adopt the Shenzhen Declaration at next week’s APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, and achieve practical outcomes in areas that are vital for both regional and global economic growth, such as trade, connectivity, digital economy, and artificial intelligence,” she said.
The 21 APEC member economies are Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.
No South Asian economy, including India, is a member of APEC.
Shenzhen, located in China’s southern Guangdong province and bordering Hong Kong, has emerged as one of the country’s leading technology and manufacturing hubs. It was designated one of China’s first Special Economic Zones in 1980 and has since become a major centre of technological innovation and manufacturing.
