On a Friday in mid-November, the White House announced that President Trump will sit down next week in China with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the first time the three leaders will meet together. It arrives at a moment when the old scaffolding of arms control has weakened, with the American-Russian treaty lapsed in February and China's arsenal growing quietly behind closed doors. Officials have framed the gathering as a beginning rather than a bargain, a first conversation about a danger that every nation fears and none has yet learned how to share safely.
Trump to Meet Putin and Xi in China, With Nuclear Proliferation Atop the Agenda
The first time the three leaders have met together
Mark
Why does a three-way meeting matter more than the two-way meetings Trump has already had with Xi?
Mimi
It's the first time all three leaders will be in the room together. And the agenda includes nuclear weapons at a moment when the U.S.-Russia arms control treaty has already expired, in February.
Luke
Worth saying what's actually confirmed. The White House spokeswoman confirmed the joint meeting. The itinerary details come from two anonymous senior officials.
Mark
And the nuclear topic itself?
Mimi
Wales said Trump wants to discuss reducing nuclear weapons worldwide. China's arsenal is on track for 1,000 warheads by 2030, which is what worries U.S. officials.
Luke
But the officials themselves don't expect any agreements. They call it a starting point. So anyone expecting a deal is ahead of the reporting.
Mark
Ukraine isn't expected to come up, which is notable.
Mimi
Yes. Iran is on the agenda, Ukraine is not, according to the officials.
Luke
Note that's about what Trump is expected to do, not a statement that it will never be discussed. Nobody has said what Xi or Putin will raise.
Mark
What about the Jensen Huang matter?
Mimi
Huang stepped down from Nvidia after revelations of affairs, one with Alice Huang, whom U.S. intelligence officials believe is a Beijing asset. Officials call it a national security issue, not one for this meeting.
Luke
That belief about Alice Huang is attributed to intelligence officials. The reporting here doesn't offer evidence, and neither Huang's nor Beijing's side is given.
Il Polso
- The first-ever three-way meeting between Trump, Xi and Putin unfolds in Shenzhen, and officials are already tempering expectations.
- China's projected climb toward 1,000 warheads by 2030 hangs over the talks like an unanswered question Washington cannot ignore.
- With the US-Russia arms treaty expired in February, there is no binding framework left to lean on, and the leaders must improvise a path forward.
- Trump is expected to press the 'difficult' arsenal question with Xi while steering clear of Ukraine and the Jensen Huang scandal.
- Officials insist no nuclear agreement is expected, so the real test is whether Shenzhen yields any concrete framework or fades into conversation.
On a Friday in mid-November, the White House announced that President Trump will sit down next week in China with Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, the first time the three leaders will meet together. It arrives at a moment when the old scaffolding of arms control has weakened, with the American-Russian treaty lapsed in February and China's arsenal growing quietly behind closed doors. Officials have framed the gathering as a beginning rather than a bargain, a first conversation about a danger that every nation fears and none has yet learned how to share safely.
On Friday, a White House spokeswoman, Olivia Wales, told reporters that President Trump will meet next week with both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in China. It will be the first time the three leaders sit together, and the third time this year that Mr. Trump has met Mr. Xi in person. The stated focus is nuclear proliferation, and the timing gives it weight: China's arsenal has been growing steadily, Beijing keeps its nuclear program secretive, and the arms control treaty between Washington and Moscow expired in February.
The journey begins in Manila for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering, then continues to Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting. There Mr. Trump will meet Mr. Xi, then both of them together with Mr. Putin. Elon Musk will travel with the president but will not join the trilateral talks.
Senior officials, speaking anonymously, described the nuclear arsenal question as "difficult" but said no agreements are expected. They called the meeting a starting point. Trump will also raise the war against Iran, though not Russia's war in Ukraine. The scandal surrounding Jensen Huang, the former Nvidia chief executive who stepped down over affairs, including one with a woman U.S. intelligence believes is a Beijing asset, is not on the agenda; officials treat it as a national security matter not suited to diplomacy.
The question now is whether Shenzhen produces anything more than an opening conversation, and in particular whether it yields any framework on nuclear weapons.
On Friday, a White House spokeswoman told reporters that President Trump will sit down next week with both Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin during a summit in China. It will be the first time the three leaders have met together, and the third in-person meeting between Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi this year.
The spokeswoman, Olivia Wales, spoke in a telephone briefing. She said the president would raise the danger of nuclear proliferation, among other topics. In her words, Mr. Trump wants to discuss reducing nuclear weapons worldwide and considers their spread very dangerous.
The timing carries weight. U.S. officials have voiced concern about a steady buildup of China's arsenal in recent years, and the nuclear arms control treaty between the United States and Russia expired in February. China keeps its nuclear facilities secretive and is on track to hold 1,000 warheads by 2030, a pace that has worried U.S. officials and analysts.
Two senior administration officials, who spoke anonymously to describe the president's travel, laid out the itinerary. Mr. Trump will first go to Manila early next week for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering. He will then travel to Shenzhen for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting, where he will meet Mr. Xi and then Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin together. The officials said the billionaire Elon Musk will accompany Mr. Trump to Shenzhen but will not take part in the trilateral meeting.
One of the officials said Mr. Trump is prepared to take up the "difficult" subject of Beijing's arsenal with Mr. Xi. Even so, the officials said they do not expect any agreements on nuclear proliferation from the talks, and described them as a starting point.
Beyond nuclear weapons, Mr. Trump plans to discuss the war against Iran at the three-way meeting. He is not expected to bring up Russia's war in Ukraine.
Another subject appears to be off the table: the scandal surrounding Jensen Huang, who until this week was chief executive of Nvidia, one of the world's largest companies. Mr. Huang stepped down after revelations that he had engaged in extramarital affairs, including one with Alice Huang, a woman whom U.S. intelligence officials believe is an asset of Beijing. Mr. Trump said this week he had no plans to raise the matter with Mr. Xi. The officials called it a national security issue and said they did not expect him to discuss it in a diplomatic meeting.
What to watch is whether the Shenzhen meeting produces anything beyond the opening conversation the officials have described, particularly any framework on nuclear weapons.
Citazioni salienti
The president wants to discuss reducing nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation he believes is very dangerous.— Olivia Wales, White House spokeswoman (paraphrased)
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