United States President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are reportedly scheduled to hold a historic three-way meeting in China next week, bringing together the leaders of the world’s three major powers for the first time in a formal trilateral format.
The meeting is expected to take place on Thursday on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, southern China, according to White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales.
The planned gathering is expected to focus on nuclear weapons reduction, the conflict involving Iran and other major geopolitical issues amid continuing tensions among Washington, Beijing and Moscow.
Nuclear Weapons Reduction Tops Agenda
White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales said Trump intended to discuss reducing nuclear arsenals during the meeting, describing the proliferation of nuclear weapons as a serious global threat.
“The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous,” she said.
The issue is expected to feature prominently in the discussions, given the nuclear capabilities of the United States, Russia and China.
Iran Conflict Expected To Feature In Talks
A senior US official, speaking anonymously, also disclosed that Trump intended to raise the conflict involving Iran during the meeting with Xi and Putin.
“I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin,” the official said.
However, Russia’s war in Ukraine is not expected to be included in the discussions.
Ukraine War Excluded From Trilateral Agenda
According to the US official, Washington is pursuing a separate diplomatic channel involving Kyiv and Moscow to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
The official explained that China was not directly involved in that process, making it inappropriate to include the conflict in the planned trilateral discussions.
“China is not really a part of that track, so it doesn’t seem appropriate to have the Ukraine discussion there,” the official said.
The arrangement also means Trump is not expected to hold a separate bilateral meeting with Putin during the China visit.
Trump And Xi To Hold Separate Meeting
Trump is, however, scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting and working lunch with Xi on Thursday.
The encounter would mark their fourth meeting since Trump returned to the White House and is expected to provide an opportunity to discuss broader US-China relations.
Trade, technology, national security and economic competition remain key issues in relations between Washington and Beijing.
Elon Musk To Accompany Trump
Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk is also expected to accompany Trump during his China trip.
However, US officials said Musk would not participate in the trilateral meeting involving Trump, Xi and Putin.
His presence is expected to attract attention because of his business interests and commercial connections in China.
Nvidia Issue Not On Meeting Agenda
US officials also said the controversy involving Nvidia Chief Executive Jensen Huang and an alleged Chinese spy would not be raised during Trump’s meetings with Xi.
Washington is also not expected to use the visit to negotiate export controls on sensitive semiconductor technology.
“We do not negotiate American export controls. These are national security matters that we develop in the administration,” the senior official said.
Trump Begins Asia Trip Monday
Trump is expected to depart Washington on Monday and arrive in the Philippines on Tuesday for an Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit.
He will subsequently travel to Shenzhen for the APEC summit and the planned meetings with Xi and Putin.
The proposed gathering is expected to attract international attention, particularly because of its focus on nuclear weapons and other security issues involving the world’s major powers.
If held as announced, it would represent a significant diplomatic engagement among the leaders of the United States, China and Russia.
