Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a historic meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I think it will happen.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, said at a press briefing this week in Beijing that China “is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state. The question is the format and the content,” said Sun Yun, director of the China programme at the Stimson Center. “China wants the image but not the costs.”
Mr.
Trump, with his “crush on authoritarian strongmen”, would love the meeting, though he clearly has been warned by his advisers to steer clear of Ukraine as a topic of the discussions, said Russel, who is now a distinguished fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute.
President Trump is expected to travel to Shenzhen to meet President Xi for the third time this year, as the fragile trade truce is set to expire in January. In a sign that tensions persist, U.S. The meeting may amount to no more than a photo opportunity that would allow Mr.
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a Friday (November 6, 2026) video call with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, urged Beijing 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. “President Putin has the most to gain from a leaders’ trilateral, and the Russians are clearly behind the push for a meeting, which would be a diplomatic coup,” said Danny Russel, a former senior State Department official who served in former President Barack Obama’s administration. Putin to be seen next to U.S. and Chinese leaders, said Craig Singleton, senior director of the China programme at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
