The leaders of the three largest military nations of the world have met each other in pairings several times before. Never before have all three sat at the same table for discussions together. This, according to the White House, is set to change soon.
President Donald Trump will meet both China’s President Xi Jinping and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin together next week, stated the White House on Friday.
The discussions are scheduled to take place on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Chinese city of Shenzhen. Trump is departing from Washington on Monday to head to the Philippines and China.
The summit will be held towards the end of his trip, where Trump will first meet with Xi in a bilateral meeting and working lunch session on Thursday before ending his trip with the trilateral summit, according to Olivia Wales, Assistant Press Secretary.
"The White House has identified nuclear weapons as the key issue." "President has clearly said that along with other issues, he will discuss nuclear weapons reduction around the world," Wales said to the reporters.
Another issue is Iran. A senior official of the US administration said that Trump will discuss Iran and not Ukraine as China is not involved in the parallel US-Russia talks.
There are no promises from the White House for a breakthrough. "We don't expect to get into any kind of agreement," an American official stated. It was indicated that the negotiations would be a way forward.
However, there was a special message from the US official to Beijing. China's nuclear forces "are growing much faster than anybody else in the world," and it is high time that Beijing sat down at the adult table."
Thus far, the statement has been issued by one party. China’s state-run media revealed on Friday that Xi would participate in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the APEC summit, citing a foreign ministry spokesman, but no mention has been made about the trilateral meeting.
The reviewed reports did not feature any statement from the Kremlin. Unless China and Russia confirm their participation, the trilateral meeting would remain a plan of the US government.
There have been numerous exchanges between the three leaders during the year. President Xi Jinping received both Putin and Trump in Beijing within a week in early months of this year, whereas the latter welcomed his Chinese counterpart in Washington in September.
Thursday's talks will be the fourth meeting between the two leaders after President Trump's return to power in 2025.
Musk will be traveling with Trump, according to a senior US government official. It has been stated that Elon Musk is likely to join Trump on his journey but not to the trilateral meeting.
It is a bad time for the US President in terms of his presence in the summit because according to The Washington Post, it is a high-stakes summit for Trump after facing defeats in elections and being faced with a scandal which could further strain relations with China.
These issues might influence the attitudes of both parties towards the summit. The news reviewed did not include anything about the impact of either of the above-mentioned events on the summit.
The agenda represents shifting power dynamics. China has been fast expanding its nuclear arsenal, and Trump has said he thinks that the issue could lead to a new agreement among the world's largest nuclear powers.
The American standpoint is that China should join arms talks that have traditionally been held bilaterally. The reports analyzed do not mention how China responded to that point of view.
Several issues will matter. One is whether Beijing and Moscow support the format. Two is what the leaders say publicly following their meeting. Three is whether the meeting produces anything tangible, for example a working group or a statement.
Even a modest outcome will mean success because the three never held such a meeting before.
