Beijing Confirms Contact on Potential Trump-Xi-Putin Meeting Ahead of APEC Summit
Key Facts
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Beijing is in contact with the relevant parties about a possible meeting between the leaders of China, Russia and the United States. She made the remarks at a press briefing in Beijing on November 4, two weeks before the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum begins. The Straits Times, citing Bloomberg, quoted Mao as saying China "is maintaining communication with the relevant parties about a possible meeting between the leaders of China, Russia and the United States." Her comments signal Beijing’s openness to the idea, but do not mean a summit has been decided or a date announced. The remarks come as Shenzhen prepares to host the forum’s leaders’ meeting in November.
Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff discussed the possibility of a meeting of the leaders of Russia, China and the United States at an economic summit in China during the month following their talks. Ushakov added that Beijing was preparing for the possible meeting, according to the Associated Press. The agency reported that Putin and Witkoff discussed the matter, without establishing that Ushakov and Witkoff had discussed it together. The Russian statement places the idea of a meeting in the context of preparations for an upcoming economic summit, while China’s publicly stated position is limited to continued contact with the relevant parties. Beijing has not announced details of a trilateral meeting agenda or an agreement on one.
The APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled to take place in Shenzhen on November 19, according to the forum. China is hosting the forum’s 33rd leaders’ meeting, the third time it has hosted the event after Shanghai in 2001 and Beijing in 2014, according to the Chinese government. Ahead of the leaders’ meeting, ministers held the forum’s 37th ministerial meeting virtually on Tuesday, reviewing progress during China’s host year and discussing regional cooperation. The proximity of the remarks to the Shenzhen meeting provides a timeframe for discussions of the possible meeting, but does not confirm the participation of all three leaders. Artificial intelligence is expected to top the leaders’ agenda, following discussions during the year on productivity, innovation and adoption of emerging technologies, according to APEC.
The diplomatic contact news comes as Chinese industrial activity indicators showed mixed readings for October. The official manufacturing purchasing managers’ index stood at 49.3%, down 0.8 percentage points from the previous month, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. The new orders index also fell to 49.4%, while the production index stood at 49.8%. The data provide an economic backdrop for a meeting hosted by China, though sources have not linked manufacturing weakness to the leaders’ discussions.
The reading puts private-sector activity in expansion territory, in contrast with contraction in the official index, presenting a mixed picture of Chinese manufacturing. Caixin Global attributed manufacturing weakness to a decline in overseas orders linked to the post-September Christmas season and softer domestic consumption following the National Day holiday. Thus, the private reading was linked to weak external and domestic demand, while the official bureau’s reading fell from the previous month. The sources do not offer a unified explanation for the gap between the two indexes.
On China-Russia relations, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin oversaw the signing of more than 40 cooperation agreements at a meeting in Beijing in May, according to the Associated Press. The agency said bilateral trade between the two countries reached about $228 billion in 2025, citing Xinhua. China’s trade with APEC economies also rose nearly 24% in the first three quarters of 2026 from the same period a year earlier, driven by increased exports of high-tech products, including electric vehicles and lithium-ion batteries, according to the agency, citing Chinese customs. These figures provide background on the economic ties linking China with the two countries and the forum’s economies. Statements about the possible meeting did not mention negotiating outcomes or specific issues the summit would address.
Mao said at a briefing on October 20 that she had no information to provide in response to a question about whether Beijing would accept a proposal for a trilateral meeting. Her November 4 remarks confirmed continued contact about a possible meeting, without announcing a final decision. APEC’s Policy Support Unit estimates regional economic growth at 3.4% in 2026, compared with 3.2% in the previous year, while forecasting inflation to rise to 3.2% from 2.4%. Attention will turn to the leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen on November 19, where artificial intelligence is expected to feature prominently in discussions. None of the statements announced a confirmed date or agenda for a trilateral meeting.