Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen. The forum will take place on November 18 and 19.
The upcoming talks were announced by the Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia Valentina Matvienko during a meeting in Beijing with the Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Wang Huning, Interfax reports.
The specific time and format of the talks between Putin and Xi Jinping have not yet been announced. The topics are expected to be clarified through diplomatic channels before the start of the forum.
Moscow confirms Putin's participation
Vladimir Putin's participation in the summit has been discussed by Russian authorities in recent months. The Kremlin said the Russian president plans to travel to Shenzhen, and Moscow earlier reported that he had received an invitation from the Chinese side.
“We assume that President Putin will go to the APEC summit“, said the Russian president's press secretary Dmitry Peskov. According to him, the forum will provide an opportunity for the leaders of Russia, China and the United States to meet bilaterally or possibly in another format.
Putin and Xi Jinping have already held talks twice in 2026. They met during the Russian president's official visit to China and on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Bishkek.
The trilateral format remains without a final decision
The possibility of the Shenzhen forum becoming a place for a conversation between Putin, Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump was also discussed. However, Russian authorities stressed that there is no final confirmation of such a meeting and that the practical parameters have not yet been agreed upon.
The upcoming bilateral meeting between Putin and Xi Jinping is planned at a time when Moscow and Beijing continue their coordination within international formats, including APAC, BRICS, SCO and the “Group of Twenty“. The next opportunity for talks between the two leaders will be in Shenzhen on November 18 or 19.
Sources: interfax.ru, bta.bg