Active negotiations for a trilateral summit on the sidelines of the November 18-19 APEC forum in Shenzhen have driven trader consensus toward China as the site of the next Trump-Putin meeting. Trump has publicly stated his expectation of meeting both Putin and Xi there to discuss denuclearization and related issues, while Kremlin officials confirm coordination is underway and Chinese diplomats have acknowledged ongoing communications among the parties. This positioning aligns with China's role as host and the timeline compressing before year-end. A shift away from China would require last-minute logistical breakdowns, a decision to hold only bilateral sessions instead, or an unexpected bilateral encounter elsewhere before the APEC dates.