Xi and Putin to meet in Shenzhen as Trump trilateral discussed

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to meet in Shenzhen at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month, while Russia says work is underway to arrange a trilateral meeting that would also include US President Donald Trump.

When will Xi and Putin meet in Shenzhen?

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on 3 November that Putin and Xi are expected to meet in Shenzhen on 18 November, during Putin’s visit for the APEC summit. Russia is looking forward to the talks, which will focus on bilateral relations.

[See more: Xi-Trump summit day 2: Trade truce extended to 2027, Taiwan and AI on agenda]

The leaders agreed in September to hold detailed talks on the sidelines of the summit, which runs from 18 to 19 November in Shenzhen. China’s foreign ministry has said only that Beijing is in communication with relevant parties about a meeting between the Chinese and Russian heads of state.

Is a meeting with Trump confirmed?

Not yet. Peskov said work is underway to arrange a meeting of Putin, Xi and Trump, and that he hopes the arrangements will be finalised in the next few days. He added that China, as host, is the main organising force.

The foreign ministry did not mention a trilateral meeting in its latest comments. When asked about the idea earlier, it said it had no information to provide.

Trump is also expected to attend the summit. The White House had not commented on the trilateral proposal when approached by the Financial Times.