The United States and China have discussed the possibility of nuclear arms control talks involving their leaders and Russia at a potential trilateral meeting next week. The diplomatic opening comes as Washington seeks to bring Beijing into nuclear arms control negotiations following the expiration of its bilateral treaty with Moscow.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the issue by telephone ahead of the November 18–19 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, China. Officials from all three countries have indicated that discussions are underway about a possible meeting between Presidents Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, and Vladimir Putin on the summit’s sidelines, although no trilateral gathering has been confirmed.
Rubio and Wang “agreed on the importance of meaningful leader-level conversations to advance goals such as peace and denuclearization, including at any potential trilateral leaders meeting with Russia,” the U.S. State Department said Wednesday. Wang said China was “willing to strengthen communication and cooperation with the U.S.,” according to Beijing’s foreign ministry.
Washington has sought China’s participation in nuclear arms control negotiations since its bilateral treaty with Russia expired in February. Beijing previously rejected joining such talks, arguing that its nuclear capabilities were on a different scale from those of the United States and Russia. The latest diplomatic contacts follow an agreement reached during last year’s APEC summit in South Korea to ease U.S.–China trade tensions after reciprocal tariff escalations. Trump also said Sunday that he expected to discuss ending the Iran war with Xi and Putin if they met.
The potential trilateral meeting could provide an opportunity to reopen discussions on nuclear arms control among the three powers, but significant obstacles remain. Whether Beijing agrees to place denuclearization on the agenda, and whether the leaders’ meeting takes place, will be key indicators of progress toward a broader diplomatic framework. (AFP+EIR)
