Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping, United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a gathering that would be the first trilateral summit of the three leaders if it goes ahead.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a press briefing in Beijing this week that China “is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state.” The statement, made on Wednesday, was Beijing’s first public confirmation that such a discussion is under way, and it was reported widely by international news agencies over the following days.
Nothing has been decided yet. No final decision on the meeting has been announced, and no date has been formally agreed. But if the three leaders do sit down together, the meeting would take place on the sidelines of this month’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit in Shenzhen, in southern China, on 18 and 19 November.
Beijing is the host of this year’s APEC leaders’ summit, a gathering of the 21-member grouping that includes both the United States and Russia. Mr Trump is already expected to travel to Shenzhen to meet Mr Xi for the third time this year, at a moment when a fragile trade truce between Washington and Beijing is set to expire in January.
The idea of a three-way meeting first surfaced in a report by the Financial Times, which said officials from the three countries were coordinating arrangements for such a gathering. The Kremlin then confirmed that work was in progress, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying: “Work is under way on organising such a meeting.”
Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov added that Mr Putin and the United States special envoy Steve Witkoff had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting during talks in St Petersburg on 21 October. Reports have also said Mr Putin proposed the trilateral format to Mr Trump in a telephone call on 9 October, with the aim of reaching an agreement on ending the war in Ukraine on terms favourable to Russia.
The three leaders would come to the table with very different priorities. Mr Trump has said he would like to discuss nuclear arms control, while Mr Putin is focused on the war in Ukraine, a subject on which Kyiv would not be present. Mr Xi, as host of the APEC summit, would be in a position to set the stage for a carefully choreographed encounter.
Analysts who follow the three governments have been cautious about what such a meeting could achieve. They say the three leaders are unlikely to discuss anything substantive because their interests are so far apart, and that the gathering would probably amount to a photo opportunity rather than a negotiating session. Even so, the symbolism of the three most powerful leaders in the world appearing together would be considerable.
The timing adds to the significance. The APEC summit comes as the United States carries out strikes against Iran and as Washington presses Beijing over trade commitments, while Russia continues its war in Ukraine. A meeting of the three leaders in Shenzhen would place the world’s most consequential rivalries in a single room, if only briefly.
For now, the only certainty is that the conversation has begun. Beijing has confirmed it, Moscow has said work is under way, and the venue and dates are in place should the three sides agree. Whether the meeting happens, and what it produces, will become clear in the days before the APEC summit opens in Shenzhen.
