Beijing has confirmed for the first time that it is holding discussions on a historic meeting between the Chinese leader Xi Jinping, American President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, broadcasting the APUAP) agency.
China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning, during a news conference in Beijing this week, said China is in communication with the respective parties concerning a meeting among three heads of state.
No final decision has yet been made, but the meeting of the three leaders could be held this month in the margins of a regional summit in the town of Shenzhen, south of China.
If it were, the meeting would be historic. However, experts say the three leaders are unlikely to discuss concrete issues, as their interests differ with each other. According to them, the meeting would serve primarily for a joint photo, while China would organize it very carefully.
I believe the meeting will be held. The issue is its format and content, Sun Yun, director of the China Stimson Centre programme, said. China wants the image, but not the costs.
Beijing is a host of this year’s summit of economic and economic co-operation leaders ( APEC, a 21-member organisation that includes the US and Russia.
The Trump is expected to travel towards Shenzhen to meet with Xi for the third time this year, with the aim of maintaining the fragile trade truce, which is expected to expire in January.
As a sign that tensions continue, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, during a video connection Friday with Chinese Deputy Prime Minister He Lifeng, urged Beijing to undertake concrete action to fully implement previous pledges, especially those related to purchases of agricultural products, rare lands and other critical minerals, Greer’s office was told in a statement.
Chinese official news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday that the two sides held a deepening and constructive exchange during the conversation, while China voiced concern for Washington’s restrictive economic and trade measures towards Beijing.
While in China, Trump said he would be interested in meeting with Xi and Putin to discuss the control of nuclear weapons. However, Putin is focused on discussing the war in Ukraine without Kiev’s presence at the negotiating table.
Poutin has the most to take advantage of a trilateral meeting between leaders and Russians are clearly the ones who are pushing ahead the idea of this meeting, which would be a major diplomatic success for Moscow, said Danny Russell, former senior US State Department official who served during the administration of former President Barack Obama.
Trumpit, known for his preference for strong authoritarian leaders, would like such a meeting, although his advisers have apparently warned him to avoid Ukraine as a topic of discussion, said Russell, who is currently an accomplice at the Association of Asia’s Policy Institute.
Sun from the Stimson Centre said Russia will likely use the summit to draw China and the US closer to Moscow’s positions for Ukraine, while China will have to manage Russia’s manipulating efforts.
She said China would also not be involved in arms control talks or discussions on Ukraine and Iran, except to reiterate its diplomatic stance that peace is important and that wars must end.
According to her, Beijing’s biggest challenge may be the perception that will be created by this meeting.
She said, “Samami should not equal the world’s division among three great powers,” she said.
Source Layer: Insander