Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit hosted by President Xi Jinping on November 18-19, according to people close to the Kremlin. As reported by Bloomberg, this will mark Putin's first personal participation in an APEC meeting since 2017. The summit will be held in Shenzhen, China, with Russian officials speculating about the prospect of holding an unprecedented trilateral meeting between the leaders of the world's three biggest nuclear powers on the sidelines. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told Russian state television earlier this month that Putin and Xi had discussed the idea at talks during the recent Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan, adding it would depend on whether Trump decided to attend APEC.
US and Chinese economic officials achieved a significant breakthrough in eight-hour talks at JPMorgan Chase's headquarters in New York on Sunday, setting up a 'US-China AI dialogue' to address artificial intelligence concerns. According to AFP, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced that the US has proposed a notification mechanism for potential AI incidents that could rise to national security level. The discussions, which included Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng and top US trade official Jamieson Greer, covered both trade and AI issues. Chinese state media described the meetings as 'candid, in-depth, and constructive', with Xinhua news agency reporting that both sides engaged in discussions on key economic and trade issues of mutual interest. Chinese official Li Chenggang, who was elevated to a top-level international trade representative post, was also present in the New York talks.
Putin is very unlikely to join President Donald Trump for the G20 summit in Florida, according to sources close to the Kremlin. As reported by Bloomberg, there's only a very slim prospect of him joining Trump for the G20 in Florida, with people asking not to be identified because the matter isn't public. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not respond to requests for comment. This decision represents a significant diplomatic choice, as Putin's attendance at APEC alongside leaders from countries such as Canada, Japan, South Korea and Australia risks a diplomatic headache for the Chinese hosts, but would give Putin his most public international platform since the start of the 2022 war in Ukraine. However, former US deputy secretary of state Kurt Campbell indicated that Trump is expected to invite Xi to the G20 summit in December at his Doral resort in Miami, suggesting potential future engagement between the two leaders.
Beyond AI cooperation, US and Chinese officials are working to ease tensions on multiple fronts during the ongoing negotiations. As reported by AFP, US trade official Jamieson Greer emphasized that 'it is imperative that we are able to work together' and stressed that teams are 'continuing to work through' various issues. The discussions include possible extension of a trade truce and guardrails for AI development. Greer noted that teams are 'continuing to work through' the possibility of mutual tariff reduction on certain goods, with the aim to identify 'non-sensitive' goods that can be considered separately from trade measures. Such products could cover consumer goods from the Chinese side and energy, agricultural and other products like medical devices on the US side. US officials are also seeking to ensure the continued flow of rare earth magnets and critical minerals that are vital for US manufacturers.
Russian officials expect practically no progress before the G20 summit in negotiations on a deal to end the war, and they're increasingly disappointed in Trump's envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, as reported by Bloomberg. There's also a risk of a last-minute appearance at the G20 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Putin remains determined to seize control of all of Ukraine's eastern Donetsk region and believes Russia's army can achieve this goal in the next six months. The Russian leader has largely avoided multilateral forums where he risks being confronted by Ukraine's western allies, making his participation in APEC particularly significant for his diplomatic positioning. Analysts caution that expectations for the Trump-Xi summit are low, with Campbell suggesting that 'one of the only things we can hope for in the short term is a truce, and that this will likely continue through the remainder of this year'.
