The United States and China cannot decide on the format of the meeting between Putin, Trump and Xi.
The US and China disagree on how a tripartite meeting between Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin should be conducted, the Wall Street Journal writes citing sources. They may meet at the APEC summit in China on November 18-19. All three countries said they were open to such an idea, but due to disputes over the rules and agenda, the publication said, the meeting was in doubt.
Beijing insists on a strict scenario - each of the leaders reads a prepared statement, and there is almost no time left for discussion. A Chinese official told the publication that the country was willing to host the meeting only if the agenda and outcome were agreed in advance, otherwise China would prefer separate bilateral negotiations. Xi Jinping wants historic photos and statements without the risk of an unexpected conversation as he prepares for the Communist Party Congress in late 2027, the paper's sources said.
The Trump administration is looking for a free format where leaders can talk to each other. Trump, writes the WSJ, wants to discuss nuclear arms control - the last major treaty between the United States and Russia expired in February, and the new one, according to Washington, should also apply to China. Beijing, the WSJ writes, refuses to participate in such negotiations because China is afraid of establishing a position in which its nuclear arsenal is inferior to that of the United States and Russia.