U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and Russian President Vladimir Putin will convene in Shenzhen, China, on Thursday, November 19, 2026, for the first-ever trilateral summit between the leaders of the world’s three major superpowers.
​The landmark meeting, confirmed by the White House on Friday, November 13, will take place on the sidelines of the 33rd Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in the southern Chinese tech hub.
While the exact time and specific building within the Shenzhen APEC summit complex have not yet been publicly disclosed for security reasons, U.S. officials indicated the talks will occur alongside Trump’s broader Thursday schedule in the city.
​Speaking to reporters during a press briefing call on Friday, White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales stated that nuclear non-proliferation will be at the top of Trump’s agenda. “The president has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world. This proliferation, President Trump believes, is very dangerous,” Wales told reporters.
​The trilateral talks come nine months after the February 2026 expiration of the New START treaty, the final bilateral nuclear arms control agreement between Washington and Moscow, which left the world’s two largest atomic arsenals without binding limits for the first time in over half a century.
Trump has repeatedly pushed for Beijing to join a modernized trilateral arms pact, though Chinese officials have historically resisted, noting that China’s estimated arsenal of over 600 warheads remains significantly smaller than the 5,000-plus warheads held by both the U.S. and Russia.
​In addition to nuclear reductions, a senior U.S. administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity during the Friday call—confirmed that Trump intends to raise the ongoing war in Iran with Xi and Putin.
However, officials noted that Trump is not expected to discuss Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine during the three-way session, nor does Washington anticipate any formal agreements to be signed at this initial meeting. “We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement,” the senior official said regarding the nuclear talks. “This is a difficult topic for China to address, but we do think it’s time for China to sort of step up and have adult conversations about adult things.”
​The Shenzhen summit forms the second leg of Trump’s four-day diplomatic tour of Asia next week, which begins when he departs Washington, D.C., on Monday, November 16. The president will arrive in Manila, Philippines, on Tuesday, November 17, to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-U.S. Special Summit before traveling to Shenzhen on the afternoon of Wednesday, November 18, for the opening of the APEC Leaders’ Meeting.
​Following the morning APEC Leaders’ Meeting on Thursday, November 19, Trump will hold a bilateral working lunch and separate talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, their fourth face-to-face meeting since Trump returned to office, ahead of the historic trilateral summit with Xi and Putin.
​White House officials confirmed that Trump is not scheduled to hold a separate one-on-one bilateral meeting with Putin during the trip, nor will he meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will accompany Trump on his visit to China, though officials clarified that Musk will not attend the trilateral meeting with Xi and Putin, and no large U.S. corporate delegation is traveling with the president.
Furthermore, a second senior U.S. official stated on the Friday briefing call that American export controls on sensitive semiconductor technology, and the recent resignation of Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, are “off the table” and will not figure into Trump’s discussions in Shenzhen.
