US seeks China’s backing for nuclear talks as Trump eyes meeting with Xi, Putin over Iran war

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: The United States is seeking to bring China into high-level discussions on nuclear disarmament and ending the war in Iran, with Washington saying Beijing has agreed on the importance of leader-level engagement ahead of an expected meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi discussed the need for high-level talks to advance peace and denuclearisation during a telephone conversation on Wednesday, including the possibility of a trilateral summit involving Russia, the US State Department said.

The diplomatic engagement comes as Trump prepares to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he is expected to meet Xi. Trump has also expressed interest in holding a three-way meeting with Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss ending the war in Iran and nuclear disarmament.

According to the US State Department, Rubio and Wang recalled the leaders’ commitment to maintaining a constructive relationship based on strategic stability, respect, fairness and reciprocity.

The two sides also agreed on the importance of meaningful discussions between national leaders to advance objectives including peace and denuclearisation, potentially through a trilateral meeting with Russia, the department said in a post on X.

However, China’s official account of the conversation made no mention of discussions on denuclearisation or a possible trilateral summit, highlighting differences in how Washington and Beijing have presented the diplomatic engagement.

Trump seeks trilateral summit with China and Russia

Trump has indicated that he wants to bring Xi and Putin together to discuss the war in Iran and nuclear weapons, with Washington working to arrange a meeting on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that efforts were under way to organise a trilateral meeting involving the three leaders during the gathering.

Trump said on Sunday that he expected to meet Xi and Putin in Shenzhen to discuss ending the war in Iran and denuclearisation.

The US president had also said in October that he was open to three-way arms control discussions with China and Russia, with a focus on nuclear weapons.

A potential trilateral summit would bring together the leaders of the world’s three major nuclear powers at a time when Washington is seeking to advance discussions on arms control and broader geopolitical conflicts.

Beijing reluctant to join nuclear disarmament talks

Despite Washington’s push for trilateral engagement, Beijing has previously signalled reservations about joining nuclear disarmament negotiations alongside the US and Russia.

China’s Foreign Ministry said last month that its nuclear capabilities were not at the same level as those of Washington and Moscow, arguing that it would be neither fair, reasonable nor realistic to ask Beijing to participate in trilateral nuclear disarmament negotiations at this stage.

China’s earlier readout of Wednesday’s conversation between Wang and Rubio also omitted any reference to denuclearisation or a possible meeting involving Putin.

Instead, China’s state news agency Xinhua described the telephone conversation as positive and constructive, saying Beijing had expressed willingness to strengthen communication and cooperation with Washington.

Wang said the current stability in China-US relations had not come easily and described it as a rational choice made by the two major countries in pursuit of their respective and shared interests, according to Xinhua.

US-China rivalry continues despite diplomatic engagement

The latest diplomatic contact comes amid broader efforts by Washington and Beijing to stabilise relations despite persistent disagreements over trade, technology and strategic competition.

Trump and Xi have held two meetings this year, which have helped ease tensions between the two countries but have not resolved their wider differences.

During a meeting in Washington in September, the two sides agreed to extend a trade truce by two months, postponing its expiry in November. However, disputes over tariffs, Chinese purchases of US goods, rare earth exports and restrictions on technology remained unresolved.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday that Washington and Beijing would advance a new dialogue on artificial intelligence, while cautioning against underestimating their differences as both countries compete for technological leadership and seek to manage the risks associated with the technology.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal has reported that Putin has proposed using a potential trilateral meeting with Trump and Xi to discuss ending Russia’s prolonged war in Ukraine.

The proposed engagement would therefore bring several major international issues, including the war in Iran, the conflict in Ukraine and nuclear arms control, into discussions between the three leaders.