Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a video conference with permanent members of the Russian Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday (local time). [Press and Information Office of the President of the Russian Federation]
Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a video conference with permanent members of the Russian Security Council at the Kremlin in Moscow on Wednesday (local time). [Press and Information Office of the President of the Russian Federation]

Speculation is mounting over a possible trilateral summit among the United States, China and Russia on the sidelines of next month's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China — and a senior Russian official's planned visit to Beijing is drawing attention.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday that Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to the Kremlin and chairman of Russia's Maritime Council, will visit China from Thursday through Tuesday (local time) and hold talks with Wang Yi, director of the Chinese Communist Party's foreign affairs office and concurrently foreign minister.

Patrushev served as secretary of Russia's Security Council for 16 years before moving to his current role as presidential aide in 2024. He is widely regarded as a close confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

China's state-run English-language outlet Global Times reported that, given Putin's expected attendance at the APEC summit in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province next month, Patrushev's visit could be an opportunity to coordinate positions and hold in-depth consultations with the Chinese side.

Wang Xiaoquan, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Russian, Eastern European and Central Asian Studies, said China and Russia are "active advocates of the democratization of international relations and a multipolar world," adding that "deepening strategic coordination can yield more public goods conducive to world peace and stability." Wang also suggested that Arctic shipping route development could be on the agenda, given Patrushev's role as Russia's Maritime Council chairman.

In diplomatic circles, the possibility of a US-China-Russia trilateral summit during the APEC gathering has been raised, with Russia appearing to be the driving force behind the idea. According to Russia's Interfax news agency, Putin said at an event on Oct. 1 that Russia was "all for it" when asked about a three-way meeting. "It largely depends on the host country, China, but meetings are always useful as they allow for an exchange of views and a clarification of positions," he said. "The most important thing is to identify the issues that would form the basis of a trilateral summit."

Yuri Ushakov, the Kremlin's foreign policy aide, said in an interview last month that Xi Jinping was "likely to take steps" to convene the trilateral meeting. "If the three leaders gather, I think it would be natural for them to hold talks," he said.

According to Tass, Ushakov confirmed Tuesday that no working-level consultations on a trilateral summit had taken place, but described the prospect as "interesting." He said the meeting would hinge on whether Donald Trump attends APEC — and Trump made clear at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping last month that he intends to do so.

Asked about the possibility of a US-China-Russia summit, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Saturday that China, as this year's APEC host, "wants to make new contributions to promoting growth in the Asia-Pacific and the global economy," but added that it had "no information to offer on the question raised."


kate01@heraldcorp.com