Beijing confirms talks for historic meeting between Xi, Trump, and Putin
Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is discussing a historic meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping, U.S. President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, reports BritPanorama.
Mao Ning, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, stated 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.” While no details have been finalized, the meeting is expected to take place this month on the sidelines of a regional summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
If this meeting occurs, it would be a significant diplomatic event. However, experts suggest that substantial discussions are unlikely due to the differing interests of the three leaders. Instead, the gathering may serve primarily as an opportunity for a photo opportunity, with China meticulously orchestrating the encounter.
“I think it will happen. The question is the format and the content,” noted Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center. “China wants the image but not the costs.”
Beijing is hosting this year’s leaders summit of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, which includes the U.S. and Russia among its 21 members.
Trump is set to travel to Shenzhen to meet Xi for what would be their third encounter this year, maintaining a fragile trade truce that expires in January.
In a sign that U.S.-China tensions persist, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, in a 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.
While in China, Trump has expressed interest in discussing nuclear arms controls with Xi and Putin, although Putin is likely to focus discussions on the war in Ukraine without Ukraine’s participation.
“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,” stated Danny Russel, a former senior State Department official under former President Barack Obama.
Trump, who has been characterized as having a “crush on authoritarian strongmen,” appears eager for the meeting, yet Russel indicated that his advisers have cautioned him to avoid discussing Ukraine entirely.
Sun from the Stimson Center noted that Russia may use the summit to sway China and the U.S. closer to Moscow’s views on Ukraine, while “China will have to manage Russian manipulation.”
China is also likely to refrain from engaging in talks regarding arms controls or discussions about Ukraine or Iran, aside from its usual diplomatic position emphasizing the importance of peace and the cessation of wars, according to Sun.
Beijing’s primary challenge might be managing perceptions. Sun remarked that the summit “should not be equated to three great powers dividing up the world.”
The meeting may turn out to be nothing more than a photo opportunity, allowing Putin to share the stage with the U.S. and Chinese leaders, according to Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
“But these photo opportunities have diminishing diplomatic returns,” Singleton added. “The spectacle may be historic without producing anything particularly consequential.”
