China confirms talks with Russia, US on first trilateral meeting

China said it is in contact with the US and Russia about a meeting between their presidents at the APEC summit, in what would be an unprecedented huddle between the three nuclear powers. Both Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have already publicly indicated interest in participating in a sit-down with Xi Jinping at November’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning’s comments on Nov 4 signalled Beijing’s openness to such a confab, two weeks before the conference begins.“China is maintaining communication with relevant parties regarding a potential meeting among Chinese, Russian and US leaders,” Mao said at a regular briefing in Beijing in response to a question about whether there are any plans for the three men to meet in Shenzhen. Such a meeting would mark a milestone in the effort by Russia to break out of international isolation following its invasion of Ukraine, and potentially allow Xi to play mediator in bringing Putin and Trump together.A trilateral summit between China, Russia and the US has no modern precedent.Its closest comparison might be the Yalta Conference in 1945, when Soviet dictator Josef Stalin, US President Franklin D. Roosevelt and UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill met to discuss the reorganisation of Europe as Nazi Germany neared defeat in World War II. BLOOMBERG