File photo. Shenzhen's Civic Centre and Futian business district, seen from Lianhuashan Park, Shenzhen, China, 27 December 2025. Photo: Pathfinbird, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons.

China has confirmed that it is talking about a three-way summit of Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin. Nothing is set, but the idea now sits on the agenda of our APEC leaders meeting Shenzhen coverage.

Beijing Opens the Door to a Trilateral

Foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a Beijing briefing this week that China “is in communication with relevant parties regarding a meeting between the three heads of state.” It is the first time Beijing has said so in public.

No date, format or agenda has been given. The gathering would take place on the sidelines of the APEC leaders’ meeting, a 21-member forum that includes the United States and Russia.

Trump has said he is open to meeting Xi and Putin to discuss nuclear arms control. Putin remains focused on the war in Ukraine.

File photo. The Luohu Port building in Shenzhen, pictured in July 2017. Photo: Qwer132477 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Trade Chiefs Speak Before the Summit

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer held a video call this week with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing’s top trade negotiator. Greer’s office said he urged Beijing to take “concrete actions to fully implement its past commitments,” particularly on farm purchases, rare earths and other critical minerals.

China’s official account of the call described it as constructive and said Beijing raised concerns about US trade restrictions. Under the trade deal Trump and Xi struck in Busan, South Korea, in October 2025, China agreed to buy US soybeans through 2028 and to suspend new export controls on rare earths, and the truce now runs to Jan. 10, 2027.

What the Analysts Expect

Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, a Washington policy institute, expects the meeting to happen. She says the open questions are its format and content.

Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a US think tank, says it may be little more than a photo opportunity with “diminishing diplomatic returns.” Danny Russel, a former senior State Department official under President Barack Obama, says Putin has the most to gain from a leaders’ trilateral.

What Prediction Markets Say

On Polymarket, the contract “Trump, Putin, and Xi seen together before 2027?” traded at 84.5% at 2:23 p.m. ET on Nov. 7, with US$79,402 traded. A separate Polymarket contract gives a 94.9% price that Trump meets Xi by Nov. 30.

These prices are bets, not polls or official statements. Why we show this: prediction markets turn real-money bets into a live probability that moves within minutes of the news, which is why investors, campaigns and newsrooms in the United States now follow them closely. We show them next to polls and official results, never instead of them.

Dates and Venue to Watch

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19 in Shenzhen, with the APEC CEO Summit, a business forum, on Nov. 17-18, according to China’s December 2025 announcement. It is the third time China has hosted APEC and the first time in 12 years.

Trump is expected to meet Xi in Shenzhen for the third time this year. The summit theme is “Building an Asia-Pacific Community to Prosper Together.”

What It Means for US Readers

Shenzhen is on China Standard Time (UTC+8), 13 hours ahead of US Eastern time in November. A session that opens at 9 a.m. in Shenzhen would begin at 8 p.m. ET the previous evening.

We have not found a US broadcaster or livestream confirmed for the leaders’ meeting. Trade headlines from the summit could move soybean, rare-earth and chip-related stocks, so US investors will watch for any change to the truce.

What Is Not Known

The start times of the leaders’ sessions, the exact venue and the official programme could not be confirmed, so no ET schedule can be given. We found no confirmation from the White House or Beijing that Trump or Putin will attend.

Neither side has said which trade measures it objects to. We also found no recent named poll on whether the meeting will happen.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will Trump, Xi and Putin meet in Shenzhen?

It is not settled. China’s foreign ministry says it is in communication with relevant parties, but no date, format or agenda has been announced.

When is the APEC leaders’ meeting?

The 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting is scheduled for Nov. 18-19, 2026, in Shenzhen. The CEO Summit runs Nov. 17-18.

What is the status of the US-China trade truce?

The truce was extended to Jan. 10, 2027, around Xi’s September visit to the White House. US officials want Beijing to meet its Busan commitments, while China cites concerns over US trade restrictions.

This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated AI newsroom. Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief. How we use AI · Report an error