China confirms talks for historic summit with Trump and Putin

In a surprising development, China has announced preliminary talks are underway for a historic three-way summit in Shenzhen, China, featuring Chinese President Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This unprecedented meeting, which is expected to take place this month on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, has been confirmed by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson. The talks are still in the early stages and nothing is finalized yet.

Experts view the potential encounter as historically significant, although functionally limited, due to the divergent strategic priorities of the three leaders. The summit is expected to primarily focus on visual choreography rather than substantive negotiations. Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, stated that China is primarily interested in the image of the summit rather than the costs involved.

Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, suggested that the meeting may amount to little more than a staged photo opportunity for Moscow.

The talks come at a time when U.S.-China trade relations are tenuous, with the U.S. trade deadline with China set to expire in January. Strains in economic relations remain visible, with the U.S. urging China to take concrete actions to fulfill past commitments, particularly those related to agricultural purchases, rare earths, and other critical minerals.

While Trump expressed interest in discussing nuclear arms controls during his visit to China, Putin is seeking conversations regarding the war in Ukraine. Putin stands to gain the most from a leaders' trilateral, and Russian officials are pushing for the summit. However, U.S. advisers have warned Trump to avoid discussing Ukraine as a topic of discussion.

China is wary of expanding the talks and plans to resist discussions on arms controls or the war in Ukraine. The summit is seen as a diplomatic coup for Russia, but China is determined to manage the international optics and ensure that the summit does not equate to three great powers dividing up the world.