BEIJING, November 7, 2026 — China has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a trilateral meeting between President Xi Jinping, President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Shenzhen this month. The gathering would be the first of its kind between the leaders of the three powers.
Beijing confirms communication
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,” according to reports from the New York Post and News4Jax. The meeting would take place during the APEC leaders’ summit, scheduled for November 18-19 in the southern city of Shenzhen. Beijing is hosting the 21-member grouping this year, a forum that includes both the United States and Russia.
Diplomatic choreography
The confirmation follows weeks of signalling from Moscow and Washington. The Wall Street Journal reported on October 19 that Putin had proposed a November meeting with Trump and Xi to discuss ending the war in Ukraine; Trump subsequently confirmed his willingness to meet, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged discussions were taking place. On October 21, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said China was working on organising the first trilateral leaders’ meeting for the APEC programme, according to Bloomberg. The Financial Times reported on November 3 that officials from the three capitals had held undisclosed talks for two weeks, with Washington and Moscow pressuring Beijing to agree to host it. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov subsequently confirmed the preparations, though China’s Foreign Ministry had previously commented only on contact concerning a bilateral Xi-Putin meeting.
Divergent agendas
Analysts warn that substantive progress is unlikely. Sun Yun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center, said the leaders’ interests are at odds. “China wants the image but not the costs,” she said. Sun added that Russia would likely use the summit to nudge China and the United States closer to Moscow’s positions on Ukraine, while Beijing would have to manage Russian manipulation. China would not engage in talks on arms controls, Ukraine or Iran beyond its standard refrain that peace is important and wars should end, she said. Beijing’s challenge, Sun noted, is perception: the summit “should not be equated to three great powers dividing up the world.”
Danny Russel, a former senior State Department official now at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Putin has the most to gain from a leaders’ trilateral, calling it a potential diplomatic coup. Russel said Trump, with his “crush on authoritarian strongmen,” would welcome the meeting, though advisers have warned him to steer clear of Ukraine as a topic.
Trade truce and tensions
Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen for his third meeting with Xi this year, maintaining a fragile trade truce set to expire in January. The president made a state visit to Beijing in May, his second trip to China since returning to office. Tensions persist beneath the surface. On Friday, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer urged Vice Premier He Lifeng in a video call to take “concrete actions to fully implement its past commitments, particularly as they relate to agricultural purchases, rare earths, and other critical minerals,” according to a statement from Greer’s office. Xinhua reported the two sides had “in-depth and constructive exchanges,” with China expressing concerns about US restrictive economic and trade measures.
Next steps
Sun Yun said the meeting will likely happen; the question is the format and the content. Chinese officials are now finalising both before the APEC summit opens on November 18.
Sources
- China confirms discussions underway on historic Xi-Trump-Putin meeting
- China confirms discussions are underway on a historic Xi-Trump-Putin meeting
- Ukraine war briefing: Beijing confirms historic Xi-Trump-Putin meeting under discussion
- Ukraine war briefing: Beijing confirms historic Xi-Trump-Putin meeting under discussion
- China's Foreign Ministry confirms talks with US and Russia on three-leader summit – Bloomberg
Photo: Palácio do Planalto (CC BY 2.0)
