World leaders converge on Asia for back-to-back summits and first Trump-Xi-Putin talks

World leaders are converging on Asia this week for back-to-back diplomatic summits, with a confirmed first-ever three-way meeting between US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin set to dominate the agenda.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit begins on Sunday in the Philippines, where Manila is hosting the 49th gathering and Trump is due to attend. Beijing then hosts the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders' meeting in the southern technology hub of Shenzhen, starting on Wednesday.

The Guardian reported that this year's APEC meeting could be defined by the confirmed trilateral session between Trump, Xi and Putin. The three-way format has been likened to a modern-day Yalta, the 1945 meeting at which Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and Joseph Stalin reshaped post-war Europe. Analysts, however, said a "Yalta 2.0" that issues edicts on Ukraine and Taiwan without those parties present is unlikely.

Symbolism over substance, analysts say

"A three-way meeting might be more symbolic than substantive, although symbolism itself matters in great-power diplomacy," Xiaoyu Pu, an associate professor of political science at the University of Nevada, told The Guardian.

Pu said Trump appears interested in nuclear arms control and denuclearisation, while Xi's priority is likely to be maintaining a stable relationship with Washington as he preserves China's strategic partnership with Russia. Putin, meanwhile, wants to retain his bargaining leverage over Ukraine, Pu said.

The APEC bloc represents more than 60% of global GDP and has primarily promoted free trade and multilateralism. The Shenzhen summit opens two weeks after Trump lost US midterm elections, and follows this month's disclosure that the head of chipmaker Nvidia was involved in a relationship with a woman US intelligence suspects was a Chinese spy.

Manila protest

In the Philippines, demonstrators took to the streets of Manila on Friday to object to Trump's participation in the ASEAN gathering. Host President Ferdinand Marcos Jr has said the summit gives the region a chance to press leaders on domestic concerns including rising prices, energy and food security.

The wave of diplomacy also includes a gathering in Cambodia later this week.