Trump wants a superpower summit. His troubles at home may make it more consequential

Facing domestic political setbacks after the mid-term elections, US President Donald Trump is preparing for an ambitious diplomatic push in Asia, seeking to bring Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping together for an unprecedented trilateral summit focused on nuclear arms control and wider geopolitical tensions.

The proposed November 19 meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen would bring together the leaders of the world's three most consequential nuclear powers. While all three attended the 2019 G20 gathering, this would be their first trilateral summit.

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The meeting offers Trump an opportunity to shift attention from mounting political pressures at home to high-stakes diplomacy abroad. His domestic challenges include a politically damaging espionage controversy involving Nvidia, a troubled air traffic episode and growing divisions within his administration.

US officials briefing the media on Trump's upcoming trip have indicated that arms control will feature prominently in the discussions. However, the President is not expected to confront Xi over the espionage allegations surrounding Nvidia and its former chief executive, Jensen Huang.

The renewed focus on nuclear weapons comes at a critical moment for global arms control. The New START treaty, the last remaining nuclear arms-control agreement between Washington and Moscow, expired in February, ending legally binding limits on the strategic nuclear arsenals of the two countries for the first time in more than five decades.

Trump has rejected a straightforward extension of the treaty, arguing that any future arrangement should also bring China into the framework. Although the Shenzhen meeting is not expected to produce an agreement, the White House sees it as an opportunity to begin discussions.

China, with an estimated nuclear arsenal of more than 600 warheads, remains well behind the United States and Russia, which each possess more than 5,000. Beijing has little incentive to accept restrictions while it continues to expand its nuclear capabilities.

For Xi, however, participating in such a meeting would reinforce China's position as an indispensable player in global security and diplomacy. For Putin, it would offer another opportunity to engage directly with Washington and demonstrate that Russia remains a consequential international power despite its isolation over the war in Ukraine.

Also Read: Five facts about APEC with Trump, Putin and Xi set to attend

India, meanwhile, is conspicuously absent from this emerging great-power engagement, despite its growing economic and strategic weight.

Beyond nuclear diplomacy, Trump's discussions with Xi are expected to focus on trade, while his engagement with Putin will centre on Ukraine. Washington and Beijing are likely to review their fragile trade truce, Chinese purchases of American goods, market access and unresolved disputes over critical minerals and advanced technology.

The future of Nvidia's powerful H200 artificial-intelligence chips is another sensitive issue in the US-China relationship. The Trump administration has permitted exports of the chips to approved Chinese customers under restrictions, even as concerns persist in Washington over the diversion of advanced American technology to China.

Those concerns have acquired a new dimension following allegations involving Jensen Huang and Alice Huang, a Singapore-based business executive suspected by US intelligence agencies of having links to Chinese intelligence. The allegations surfaced in connection with revelations about extramarital relationships involving Nvidia's co-founder and the circumstances surrounding his reported departure as chief executive on November 12.

Alice Huang previously worked at Megaspeed International, a company accused of facilitating the diversion of Nvidia's advanced chips into China. The allegations against her remain under investigation and have not been independently established. Beijing has denied the espionage claims, while Nvidia has initiated an independent investigation into whether its former chief executive was targeted by a foreign intelligence operation.

Washington has long accused Beijing of intellectual-property theft, industrial espionage and cyber-enabled theft of American commercial and military technology. But Trump has signalled that he does not intend to make the Huang controversy a subject of his discussions with Xi.

"No, I don't think so", Trump said when asked whether he would raise the issue, adding that he expected Xi might ask him about it. The President has also repeatedly defended Huang, describing him as an honourable man who built a great company.

The administration's reluctance to confront Beijing over the matter reflects the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation and the competing priorities in the bilateral relationship. A public confrontation could expose intelligence sources and methods, while mixing an unproven espionage allegation involving a prominent American businessman into trade negotiations could complicate an already fragile diplomatic engagement.

For now, Washington appears more interested in securing economic and strategic gains from the summit than turning it into a public dispute over an individual.

The trip will also bring a prominent Silicon Valley presence into Trump's diplomatic orbit. Elon Musk is expected to accompany the President to Asia, having publicly backed Huang's reinstatement as Nvidia chief executive in a petition on X on Friday, a day after the reported resignation.

Huang, who accompanied Trump on his May visit to China after receiving a personal invitation from the President, is not expected to travel this time. His absence is notable given his role as an important business interlocutor during the previous visit, particularly in Nvidia's efforts to retain access to the Chinese market.

Musk, meanwhile, brings significant commercial and national-security interests of his own through Tesla and SpaceX, adding another dimension to a trip that is expected to span nuclear security, trade, technology and the war in Ukraine. (With inputs from Times of India)