Nuclear Disarmament Expected to Feature on Agenda of Possible Trump-Xi-Putin Summit

The United States and China have discussed the possibility of placing nuclear disarmament on the agenda of a potential trilateral summit next week involving US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the US State Department.

The discussions took place during a telephone conversation between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, scheduled to take place in Shenzhen, China, on November 18–19.

Officials from the United States, China and Russia have confirmed that their respective governments are exploring the possibility of a meeting between the three leaders on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

In a statement published on social media on Wednesday, the US State Department said Rubio and Wang had “agreed on the importance of meaningful leader-level discussions to advance objectives such as peace and nuclear disarmament, including during any potential trilateral meeting of leaders with Russia”.

The call was held at Beijing’s request.

President Trump has previously expressed his intention to discuss nuclear disarmament with Xi and Putin. However, Beijing has not yet confirmed whether arms control will be formally included on the agenda of any potential trilateral meeting.

Washington has repeatedly called for China’s participation in a nuclear arms control agreement following the expiration of its bilateral treaty with Moscow in February. Beijing has previously declined to join disarmament negotiations, citing the significant difference between its nuclear arsenal and those of Russia and the United States.

According to China’s Foreign Ministry, Wang told Rubio that Beijing was prepared to strengthen communication and cooperation with Washington and address differences and sensitive issues appropriately. He also noted that the stability of bilateral relations had been achieved through considerable efforts.

The two countries reached an agreement during last year’s APEC summit in South Korea, helping ease tensions following a trade dispute marked by reciprocal tariff measures.

Meanwhile, Trump said on Sunday that he was likely to meet his Russian and Chinese counterparts next week to discuss efforts to end the war with Iran.

A potential trilateral meeting would bring nuclear arms control, international security and broader geopolitical issues to the forefront of discussions among the three major powers.