China has confirmed it is in discussions for a historic meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated this week in Beijing that China “is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state.”The potential gathering would take place this month on the sidelines of a regional summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen. The Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit is scheduled for November 18 and 19, 2026, in Shenzhen.If the meeting occurs, it would be historic. Experts, however, suggest that the three leaders are unlikely to discuss anything substantive due to conflicting interests, and the gathering might primarily serve as a photo opportunity, carefully choreographed by China. Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, noted that “China wants the image but not the costs.”US President Trump has expressed interest in meeting Xi and Putin to discuss nuclear arms controls. However, Russian President Putin is focused on discussing the war in Ukraine, specifically without Kyiv at the table. Danny Russel, a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute and former senior US State Department official, said Putin has the most to gain from such a trilateral meeting, viewing it as a diplomatic coup.Russia would likely use the summit to align China and the US more closely with Moscow’s positions on Ukraine, according to Sun Yun. China, in turn, would need to manage potential Russian manipulation and is unlikely to engage in substantive talks on arms controls or Ukraine beyond its standard diplomatic calls for peace.The US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a Friday video call with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, urged Beijing to take “concrete actions to fully implement its past commitments, particularly as they relate to agricultural purchases, rare earths, and other critical minerals.” Separately, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also pressed China to adhere “fully and immediately” to commitments under the Busan trade agreement.The proposal for a trilateral meeting to discuss ending the Ukraine war was initially made by Russian President Putin during a phone conversation with Trump on October 9. While Mao Ning initially stated on October 19 that she had no information about Putin’s proposal, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov later indicated on October 21 that China was working to host the first trilateral meeting of leaders and would include it in the APEC summit program if conditions were favorable. Reports on November 3 from the Financial Times indicated that US, Chinese, and Russian officials had been holding secret talks for two weeks regarding the summit.The format and content of the potential Xi-Trump-Putin meeting remain unclear. Concerns are also rising in Ukraine and Europe about decisions affecting Ukraine’s future potentially being made without its inclusion in the talks.
What happens next
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer has urged China to take concrete actions to fully implement past commitments, and US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will closely evaluate China's implementation of the Busan agreement.
