Trump, Xi, Putin set for unprecedented trilateral talks at APEC summit in Shenzhen

Chinese President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold an unprecedented trilateral meeting next week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China, according to a report by the Press Trust of India (PTI), citing the White House and international media reports.

China will host the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting on November 18-19, with leaders from the grouping's 21 member economies scheduled to attend. The proposed meeting between the three leaders is expected to cover major global issues, including nuclear arms reduction, artificial intelligence and tensions involving Iran.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump intended to discuss nuclear weapons reduction, adding that the US president considers their proliferation extremely dangerous, according to the BBC.

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The discussions come amid concerns over the future of global arms control following the expiry of the New START treaty between Washington and Moscow in February. The agreement, which was the last major bilateral nuclear arms control pact between the two countries, imposed legally binding limits on their strategic nuclear arsenals. Its expiry has left the world's two largest nuclear powers without comparable binding restrictions.

According to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post, the leaders could also explore possible commitments on regulating the use of artificial intelligence in nuclear arsenals as part of broader discussions on global governance.

Iran could emerge as another key subject. China remains Tehran's largest trading partner and a major buyer of Iranian crude oil, giving Beijing significant economic interests in developments involving the country.

However, a senior US official said the war in Ukraine would not feature in the trilateral discussions, as Washington was pursuing a separate negotiating track with Moscow. China has maintained close economic ties with Russia since the latter launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with bilateral trade continuing despite Western sanctions.

According to the White House, no separate bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled during the visit, and Washington has no plans to engage with North Korea.

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Trump is expected to arrive in Shenzhen late Wednesday for the two-day summit and hold bilateral talks with Xi on Thursday. The meeting will mark another engagement between the two leaders as they seek to manage differences over trade, artificial intelligence and Taiwan.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing was communicating with Washington and Moscow regarding the proposed trilateral meeting. She said China hoped the summit would produce practical outcomes in trade, connectivity, the digital economy and artificial intelligence.

The APEC summit's theme is "Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together". India is not a member of the 21-economy grouping.