US opposes China's scripted APEC summit with Trump Xi Putin
The US isn't on board with China's idea for a tightly scripted summit featuring Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin during the APEC meeting in southern China (November 11-12, 2026).
American officials want real, open conversations, not just preplanned talking points, which puts the whole meeting up in the air.
Nuclear arms and Ukraine complicate summit
Big topics like nuclear arms control are supposed to be on the table, especially since the U.S.-Russia New START treaty has expired.
Trump is eager to talk nukes because of China's growing arsenal, but China doesn't want discussions that highlight its weaker position.
Meanwhile, Putin hopes to use his better ties with Trump to push talks about Ukraine.
With all these clashing agendas and China wanting everything predetermined, separate one-on-one meetings might actually work better than a group summit.