The US and China disagree over the format of a proposed trilateral meeting between US President Donald Trump, Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, and the disagreement threatens to derail it, according to the Wall Street Journal, as reported by APA on 10 November 2026.
China wants any summit of the three leaders to follow a strictly structured format, with a pre-written statement read aloud and minimal room for discussion. The Trump administration is pushing for a more free-flowing format for an active exchange of views.
The meeting would take place on the sidelines of the APEC summit scheduled for November 18 to 19 in Shenzhen, China.
What each side wants
The format dispute is about how the leaders would talk, not only about what they would discuss. A structured meeting with a pre-written statement would limit surprises and keep the discussion within agreed lines.
A free-flowing meeting would allow an active exchange of views, which the Trump administration is seeking. The difference has become serious enough to put the meeting itself at risk, according to the report.
China has indicated it may prefer separate bilateral meetings if no agenda is agreed in advance. Trump and Xi are also due to meet bilaterally next week, their third meeting this year.
What Trump said
Trump told reporters on Sunday 8 November that he expected to meet both leaders: "One of the meetings, I think, will be with President Putin and President Xi, and that'll be interesting," with denuclearisation and ending the war in Iran as possible topics.
Beijing said on Monday 9 November it was in communication with relevant parties over the meeting, not ruling it out. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun gave that response on 9 November. No jointly agreed time or agenda has been announced.
The Kremlin said on 21 October that preparations were under way for a first-of-its-kind trilateral meeting. Putin suggested the three-way meeting to Trump in a phone call on 9 October, according to the Wall Street Journal.
What is at stake
A meeting of the three leaders would be the first of its kind, and the topics on the table are among the most sensitive in world politics: nuclear weapons and the war in Iran.
Whether the meeting happens at all now depends on whether the two sides can agree on how it should be run. With the APEC summit less than ten days away, the format dispute leaves the plan uncertain.
