Manila, 12 November, 2026 (Nosheen): World leaders, including US President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, are set to attend a series of high-level meetings in Asia focusing on trade, artificial intelligence, regional security and nuclear disarmament. The five-day diplomatic engagements will begin with the ASEAN summit in Manila on Sunday, followed by the Francophonie summit in Phnom Penh and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Shenzhen, China. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected at the ASEAN gathering, while Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney will attend both ASEAN and APEC summits. Putin is also expected to play a prominent role at APEC. A possible meeting between Trump, Xi and Putin is likely to attract major international attention, although expectations of significant breakthroughs remain low. Discussions could cover the Ukraine conflict, the situation involving Iran and nuclear disarmament. Analysts believe the meeting may carry greater symbolic than practical significance, with leaders potentially agreeing on broad principles without concrete commitments. Artificial intelligence governance is another major item on the APEC agenda. Trump and Xi had agreed in September to establish a communication channel to address potential AI-related incidents. Despite growing technological rivalry, both countries face shared concerns over AI-assisted biological threats and cyberattacks on critical infrastructure. The summit could provide an opportunity to advance cooperation on AI safety and ensure human oversight of the technology. Meanwhile, controversy surrounding Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, who was previously expected to accompany Trump to the summit, could add further sensitivity to discussions on US-China technological relations.