China Confirms Tripartite Talks for APEC Leaders' Summit
Beijing acknowledged discussions with Washington and Moscow regarding a meeting between Xi, Trump, and Putin during the Shenzhen conference.
By Sanjay Caldwell ·
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed on Tuesday that Beijing is engaged in discussions with Washington and Moscow concerning a potential trilateral summit. The proposed meeting would bring together President Xi Jinping, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.
Mao stated that China is maintaining communication with relevant parties regarding the potential gathering. She made the remarks during a press briefing in Beijing while responding to questions from journalists. The APEC summit is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on November 18 and 19.
The possibility of a three-way meeting has been under consideration since late October. On October 19, The Wall Street Journal reported that Putin proposed a November meeting to discuss ending the war in Ukraine. Trump subsequently confirmed his willingness to participate. Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that discussions were already underway.
Russian aide Yuri Ushakov stated on October 21 that China was working to organize the first trilateral meeting. He said the event would be added to the APEC program if conditions allowed. Two weeks later, the Financial Times reported that officials from the three nations had held undisclosed talks. The report indicated that Washington and Moscow were pressuring Beijing to host the summit.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed the preparations on November 3. Prior to that, China's Foreign Ministry had only commented on contact regarding a bilateral meeting between Xi and Putin. The confirmation of trilateral talks marks a shift in the diplomatic posture of the Chinese government regarding the conflict.
The timing of the potential summit follows a visit to Beijing by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. On October 29, Steinmeier urged Xi to use his influence to end the war. Following their talks on November 1, Steinmeier said Xi expressed surprise at rumors of the summit. The Chinese leader denied that specific preparations for a meeting on Ukraine were underway. He described the war as a European conflict and emphasized that European representatives should be present at the negotiating table.
