The White House confirmed to The Jerusalem Post that US President Donald Trump will hold a trilateral summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin during his upcoming visit to China, with the war in Iran and the possibility of reducing the three countries' nuclear arsenals among the issues on the agenda.
The meeting will take place toward the end of Trump's visit to Shenzhen, following his scheduled bilateral meeting and working lunch with Xi on Thursday afternoon, November 19. The White House did not specify the exact date or time of the trilateral summit.
"The President has made it clear that, among other topics, he will discuss the reduction of nuclear weapons in the world, whose proliferation President Trump believes is very dangerous," White House Assistant Press Secretary Olivia Wales added.
During a briefing that the Post attended, senior US officials cautioned that the administration does not expect the first meeting to produce a nuclear arms control agreement but that it may begin the process.
"We do not expect to get to any kind of agreement," a senior US official said, describing the summit as "the entry point, the first conversation."
Time for China to have 'adult conversations,' White House official says
While Washington and Moscow have decades of experience negotiating arms control agreements, the official suggested that Beijing could prove a more difficult participant.
"We do think it's time for China to sort of step up, you know, to the adults' table, if you will, and have adult conversations about adult things," the official said.
The official accused China of developing its nuclear arsenal without sufficient transparency, arguing that decisions made in Beijing have implications for international security.
Iran on the agenda, Ukraine excluded
One of the most significant revelations during the briefing concerned the wars in Iran and Ukraine.
A senior US official confirmed that Trump intends to raise the war in Iran during his meeting with Xi and Putin, but does not plan to discuss the war in Ukraine in the same forum.
"I think the president does intend to talk about Iran in the trilateral meeting," the official said.
The official offered no details about what Trump intends to propose to the Russian and Chinese leaders regarding Iran, or whether Washington will seek their support for a new diplomatic initiative to end the conflict.
On Ukraine, however, the administration drew a clear distinction.
"We have a whole nother track that you're aware of, where we've had many meetings recently with the Russians," the official explained, adding that "China is not really a part of that track."
The official also clarified that there is no separate bilateral meeting scheduled between Trump and Putin during the visit.
The decision to include Iran in the three-way discussions comes amid renewed uncertainty over Washington's approach to Tehran.
Trump said earlier this week that the United States no longer needed an agreement with Iran, while directing Vice President JD Vance, who had been involved in diplomatic contacts concerning the conflict, to focus his attention on domestic corruption investigations.
The president has continued to threaten additional military action against the Iranian regime, even as his administration has emphasized the economic pressure being exerted on Tehran.
The upcoming summit indicates that the administration intends to keep Iran on the diplomatic agenda with Moscow and Beijing, both of which maintain ties with Tehran.
Nevertheless, officials did not elaborate on what role, if any, Russia or China might be asked to play in ending the war.
Trump to meet Xi on Thursday afternoon
Wales also provided the Post and other reporters with a detailed itinerary for Trump's trip, which begins early Monday morning, November 16.
Trump is set to meet with leaders of the Quad – the United States, Japan, India and Australia – to discuss security, prosperity and cooperation across the Indo-Pacific, in Manila on Tuesday evening as well as participate in a special US-ASEAN summit.
Trump will then meet with the Philippine president at the presidential palace in order to meet regarding commercial agreements and strategic investments intended to strengthen US interests in aviation, defense, energy and technology
On Thursday morning, November 19, the president will participate in a multilateral meeting with APEC leaders before holding a bilateral meeting with Xi.
The meeting follows two previous encounters between the leaders this year: Trump's May visit to Beijing and Xi's September visit to Washington.
According to Wales, the administration intends to build on economic and trade commitments reached during those meetings.
The trilateral summit with Putin is scheduled to take place at the conclusion of the China visit.
Elon Musk to accompany Trump for part of China visit
The White House also disclosed that Elon Musk, the chief executive of Tesla and SpaceX, is expected to accompany Trump during portions of his visit to China.
"We believe there will be at least one high-profile business leader," a senior US official said, identifying the executive as the head of Tesla and SpaceX.
The official said Musk's participation would be limited to certain portions of the China stop, rather than the entire presidential trip.
Asked why Musk was joining the delegation, the official cited his extensive business interests in the US-China relationship and his role in sectors relevant to American national security.
The official suggested that Musk could be valuable to the president in an advisory capacity, although he declined to speak on Trump's behalf about the precise reason for the invitation.
Musk, however, will not participate in the trilateral summit or the president's bilateral meeting with Xi.
"Those will be official meetings with officials only participating," the official said.
The official also downplayed the possibility of detailed discussions about Starlink, SpaceX's satellite communications network, and its role in the war in Ukraine.
The administration does not expect to bring a broader American business delegation on the trip.
Some US business executives are expected to attend the China-hosted APEC CEO Summit, but officials emphasized that their participation would be at China's invitation and would not make them part of the official US delegation.
Nvidia espionage scandal not expected to affect Xi talks
Senior US officials also addressed whether the unfolding scandal surrounding former Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang would affect Trump's discussions with Beijing.
Huang resigned this week following revelations about extramarital relationships, including one involving a woman US intelligence officials reportedly suspect of working for Chinese intelligence, as well as reports of relationships with company employees.
The allegations have raised concerns about the potential exposure of sensitive American technology and the possible implications for US national security.
But the White House does not expect the controversy to become part of the talks with Xi.
"The situation with Nvidia should not really have any bearing on the trip," a senior US official said.
The administration is nevertheless considering measures to strengthen existing restrictions on the export of advanced American AI chips.
Rare earth minerals and trade remain major sticking points
Beyond nuclear security and regional conflicts, Trump's bilateral meeting with Xi is expected to focus heavily on the implementation of existing trade agreements.
Senior US officials told reporters, including the Post, that Washington remains frustrated with China's performance on its commitments to supply rare earth minerals and related products, which are critical to industries ranging from defense manufacturing to advanced electronics.
"We're not getting them at the pace and at the level that we would like to be receiving them at," a senior US official said.
The official explained that the administration's concerns contributed to its decision to extend the Busan agreement for only two months rather than six.
Washington wants Beijing to demonstrate more consistent compliance with its commitments.
"I expect the president will raise it with President Xi," the official said.
The administration also remains concerned about Chinese non-tariff barriers, which officials say can undermine the benefits of tariff-reduction agreements.
A senior official said American and Chinese representatives met earlier on Friday to discuss trade implementation issues.
Despite those ongoing negotiations, the White House does not expect to announce a new tariff agreement immediately after the Trump-Xi meeting.
The meeting is instead expected to review progress under existing arrangements.
Finally, officials ruled out any currently planned engagement with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during Trump's Asian tour.
"As of right now ... there are no plans at all for engagement with North Korea," a senior US official said.
The trip will place Trump at the center of a series of major diplomatic and economic discussions across Asia. Its centerpiece, however, will be the trilateral summit with Xi and Putin – an effort to initiate a new discussion about nuclear arms control among the three powers while the war in Iran continues and their wider strategic relationships remain under strain.