ExclusiveAll eyes on Buenos Aires as Beijing and Washington hammer out the details for the high-stakes summit between Xi Jinping and Donald Trump
- Xi and Trump each could have as many as six aides joining them at the December 1 dinner after the G20 forum
- The outcome could affect the direction of Sino-US relations and influence global economic trajectories
Beijing and Washington are talking frequently as they nail down the details for President Xi Jinping’s dinner meeting with US President Donald Trump in Buenos Aires on December 1, with a major issue being the number of aides each leader will be allowed to bring to the parley, sources said.
“One big issue is to determine who will sit at the table,” a source briefed on the progress of the preparations for the leaders’ first face-to-face sit-down in a year told the South China Morning Post.
Referring to the possible groupings of leaders and aides being considered, the source said: “On each side of the dinner table, it could be one plus two, one plus four, or one plus six”.
The “one plus six” arrangement is likely to be chosen, although that plan could change, the source said. The trickier task will be establishing who the dinner guests will be as their roles could affect the atmosphere and even the final outcome of the widely watched meeting.
The sides have not yet confirmed their proposed guest lists as of Monday, the source said.
The heavy exchanges between China and the US two weeks ahead of the meeting reflect the parties’ determination to create any advantages they can with billions of US dollars of international commerce at stake as Trump’s trade war with China drags on.