US President Donald Trump is expected to discuss Iran with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin at a three-way meeting on Thursday in Shenzhen, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. The White House confirmed the meeting on Friday. Press secretary Olivia Wales said Trump would raise, among other issues, the reduction of nuclear weapons worldwide, as he considers their proliferation extremely dangerous. Neither China nor Russia has yet confirmed the summit.
Iran in, Ukraine out
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Trump intends to bring up Iran at the meeting with the Chinese and Russian presidents. The official added, however, that Washington is taking a different approach to the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, explaining that Beijing is not substantially part of that process and it is therefore not considered appropriate to discuss Ukraine.
Elon Musk will accompany Trump on the trip but will not take part in the three-way meeting. Trump and Xi will also hold a one-on-one meeting and a working lunch on Thursday afternoon, their fourth meeting since the Republican returned to the White House in January 2025. No one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is planned. Another US official, also speaking anonymously, said the situation at Nvidia is not expected to have much impact on Trump’s trip. The official was referring to the recent resignation of the company’s chief executive, Jensen Huang, following revelations of extramarital affairs, including one with a woman accused of spying for China. Before travelling to China, Trump will fly to the Philippines on Tuesday for the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Source: CNA
