Trump
to Hold Historic Trilateral Meeting with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Shenzhen;
Iran War and Nuclear Arms on Agenda
Ø Will also be in ASEAN Manila Meet
The president plans to also discuss the
war against Iran, but is not expected to bring up Russia’s war in Ukraine or
the scandal that has engulfed Jensen Huang.
1.
Historic Trilateral Meeting: US
President Donald Trump will hold his first-ever joint meeting with Chinese
President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a summit in
China next week.
2.
Meeting Schedule:
o
Trump will first attend the ASEAN summit in Manila.
o
He will then travel to Shenzhen for the
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
o
Meetings with Xi Jinping and subsequently with both
Xi and Putin are planned.
3.
Key Discussion Topics:
o
Iran war and regional security.
o
Global nuclear weapons reduction.
o
Nuclear proliferation and arms control.
o
China's expanding nuclear arsenal.
4.
Ukraine War Excluded: Trump is
not expected to raise Russia's war against Ukraine during the trilateral
meeting.
5.
China's Nuclear Arsenal:
o
China is projected to possess 1,000 nuclear
warheads by 2030.
o
Its rapid nuclear weapons expansion has raised
concerns in Washington.
o
Trump is prepared to discuss this sensitive issue
directly with Xi.
6.
US–Russia Nuclear Treaty: The US
nuclear arms control treaty with Russia expired in February 2026, increasing
concerns over the absence of bilateral nuclear arms control arrangements.
7.
No Immediate Agreement Expected: US
officials described the discussions as an initial step towards nuclear arms
reduction and do not expect any formal agreement.
8.
Elon Musk's Participation:
Billionaire Elon Musk will accompany Trump in Shenzhen but will not participate
in the trilateral meeting.
9.
Nvidia Controversy: Trump
does not intend to discuss the controversy surrounding Jensen Huang and
allegations involving Alice Huang, whom US intelligence officials reportedly
believe is linked to Beijing.
Significance: The
unprecedented Trump–Xi–Putin meeting could have major implications for global
geopolitics, nuclear arms control and the Iran conflict. However, expectations
of concrete agreements remain limited.
President
Trump will have a joint meeting with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, and President Vladimir
V. Putin of Russia during a summit in China next week, a White House spokeswoman
said on Friday.
It
will be the first trilateral meeting the three leaders have held together, and the
third meeting Mr. Trump has had with Mr. Xi in person this year. At the meeting
with Mr. Putin and Mr. Xi, Mr. Trump plans to discuss the war against Iran, but
is not expected to bring up Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Olivia
Wales, the White House spokeswoman, said that Mr. Trump would also address the threat
of nuclear proliferation. U.S. officials have expressed concerns about a steady
buildup of China’s arsenal in recent years, and a U.S.
nuclear arms control treaty with Russia expired in February.
“The
president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction
of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is
very dangerous,” Ms. Wales said in a telephone briefing with reporters.
Two
senior administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe
the president’s travel plans, said that Mr. Trump would travel to the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations in Manila early next week. The officials said he would
then travel to Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, where he will
meet with Mr. Xi and then both Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin.
The
officials said that Mr. Trump would be joined by the billionaire Elon Musk in Shenzhen,
but added that Mr. Musk would not be part of the trilateral meeting.
Mr.
Trump is prepared to discuss the “difficult” topic of Beijing’s nuclear arsenal
with Mr. Xi, one of the officials said.
China
maintains secretive nuclear facilities and is on track to have 1,000 nuclear warheads
by 2030, producing the weapons at a pace that has worried U.S. officials and analysts.
On the call, the administration officials said that they did not expect any agreements
on nuclear proliferation, and characterized the talks as a starting point.
Mr.
Trump said this week that he had no plans to discuss with Mr. Xi the scandal that
had engulfed Jensen Huang, who until this week was the chief executive of Nvidia,
one of the largest companies in the world. Mr. Huang stepped down from his role
in the wake of revelations that he had engaged in extramarital affairs, including
one with Alice Huang, a woman whom U.S. intelligence officials believe is an asset
of Beijing.
The
officials said that the matter involving Ms. Huang was a national security issue,
and did not expect Mr. Trump to discuss it with Mr. Xi during a diplomatic meeting.