APEC summit in Shenzhen on 18-19 November: China in talks on a Trump-Xi-Putin meeting

The 21 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation economies hold their APEC summit in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen on Wednesday and Thursday, 18 and 19 November. China says it is in contact with the parties about a meeting there of US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China’s foreign ministry announced on Friday, 13 November, that Xi will chair the 33rd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting. He will also give the keynote speech at the opening ceremony of the APEC CEO Summit, held in Shenzhen on 17 and 18 November, and will meet visiting leaders one to one on the sidelines. China last held the APEC chair 12 years ago.

A three-way meeting still unconfirmed

Beijing has not confirmed the three-way meeting. Asked about it on 13 November, spokesperson Mao Ning said China was in touch with the parties concerned and would share more once it could. The ministry gave the same answer on 10 November, and on 9 November, when a reporter’s question at its briefing cited Trump’s remark that he would likely see the two leaders in Shenzhen, with an end to the Iran war and denuclearisation on his list.

India is not an APEC member; the grouping takes in the US, China, Russia, Japan, Australia and Canada, along with seven of the 11 ASEAN states. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Manila on 16 and 17 November for the 23rd ASEAN-India Summit and the 21st East Asia Summit, both on 17 November. On 12 November, Secretary (East) Rudrendra Tandon said no bilateral meeting with the US had been fixed there.

Threats to Gulf shipping

The UN Security Council met on 13 November, at Bahrain’s request, on threats to shipping in the region. International Maritime Organization figures cited there showed 134 incidents and 25 seafarers killed in the Strait of Hormuz and the wider Middle East waters up to 11 November. Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said member states had faced more than 7,000 Iranian missiles and drones since 28 February, and Bahrain, speaking for the GCC, said disruption had hit about 1,600 vessels and left over 23,000 seafarers stranded.

China says it has held more than 300 APEC meetings and events so far in its host year, including 10 ministerial meetings, with over 10,000 participants. It hopes leaders will agree on an APEC Shenzhen Leaders’ Declaration at the 18-19 November meeting, along with concrete outcomes on trade, connectivity and the digital economy.