Daijiworld Media Network - Washington
Washington, Nov 14: US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to hold their first-ever trilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Shenzhen, China, next week, the White House has said.
According to US officials, Trump intends to discuss global nuclear disarmament with the two leaders, describing the spread of nuclear weapons as a dangerous development.
"The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous," White House spokesperson Olivia Wales told reporters.
A senior US official said the meeting was not expected to result in any immediate agreement but would provide an opportunity to begin discussions at the highest level.
"I would characterise this as the entry point, the first conversation, certainly at the leader level, between these countries," the official said.
Trump is also expected to raise the issue of Iran with Xi and Putin. However, the US president does not plan to discuss Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine during the trilateral meeting, officials said.
Before the joint meeting, Trump and Xi are scheduled to hold bilateral talks followed by a working lunch. No separate one-on-one meeting between Trump and Putin is currently planned.
Trump is scheduled to leave Washington on Monday and travel to Manila for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit before proceeding to Shenzhen for the APEC Summit. In Manila, he is expected to attend discussions on Indo-Pacific peace and security and hold talks with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
In China, Trump will attend a leaders' dinner and participate in multilateral engagements before meeting Xi. The trilateral meeting with Xi and Putin is expected to be the final event of his Asia tour.
Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk will accompany Trump during his China visit but will not participate in the meeting with the Chinese and Russian presidents, US officials said.
Officials also indicated that the controversy surrounding Nvidia and allegations involving a woman suspected of having links to Chinese intelligence would not feature in Trump's discussions with Xi.
The US administration does not plan to discuss export controls on sensitive chip technology during the visit, describing the issue as a national security matter handled independently by Washington.