The White House has confirmed that US President Donald Trump will hold a trilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his upcoming visit to China. The meeting is set to take place toward the end of Trump's stay in Shenzhen, after a scheduled bilateral meeting and working lunch with Xi on Thursday afternoon, November 19. The White House did not specify the exact date or time of the trilateral, which is also described as taking place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Shenzhen next week.

The agenda includes the war in Iran and the possibility of reducing the three countries' nuclear arsenals. White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales said Trump believes the proliferation of nuclear weapons is very dangerous. Senior US officials cautioned that the administration does not expect the first meeting to produce a nuclear arms control agreement, describing it as "the entry point, the first conversation" that may begin the process.S1S2

A senior US official suggested that while Washington and Moscow have decades of experience negotiating arms control, Beijing could prove a more difficult participant. The official said it was time for China to "step up" to the adults' table and accused China of developing its nuclear arsenal without sufficient transparency, arguing that decisions made in Beijing have implications for international security.S1

On Iran, a senior US official confirmed Trump intends to raise the war in Iran during the meeting with Xi and Putin, though no details were given about what he would propose. Ukraine, by contrast, is not planned for the same forum. The official said the administration has held many recent meetings with the Russians on that separate track, adding that China is not part of it. No separate bilateral meeting between Trump and Putin is scheduled during the visit.S1