Beijing faces its Russia dilemma amid talk of Xi-Trump-Putin summit

China is forced to tread carefully as it considers hosting a meeting between Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, and Donald Trump. While the optics are sure to favor Moscow, Beijing is risking its image at the global stage. An unprecedented meeting between the leaders of China , Russia and the United States could be happening on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in China's tech hub of Shenzhen next week.

China has yet to confirm that the meeting will take place. However, a Chinese Foreign Ministry official recently told the press that Beijing was "in communication" with relevant parties. In Moscow, a Kremlin representative said work on "coordination" was underway.

The clearest indication about the potential summit came from US President Donald Trump last weekend. Talking to reporters at a Florida airport, Trump said he "thinks" one of the meetings planned for APEC will be with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping .