BEIJING/KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) -Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend a major summit of Asian leaders in October, two people familiar with the matter said, dashing expectations of a potential meeting with U.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will host Russia's Vladimir Putin, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres and more than 20 heads of government later this month, Beijing said on Friday, for a political and security meet aimed at cementing China's regional influence.

A power struggle is taking shape over choosing a successor to the 90-year-old Buddhist leader. In a trip to Tibet’s capital, China’s leader emphasized maintaining Beijing’s control.

Chinese President Xi Jinping took a jab at the Dalai Lama while in Tibet, alluding to a need for greater control over "religious affairs."

Chinese President Xi Jinping is unlikely to attend a major summit of Asian leaders in October, two people familiar with the matter said, dashing expectations of a potential meeting with US President Donald Trump at the event.

China’s “bedside eavesdroppers,” the online posse parsing rumors for power shifts, have a lot to work with as Xi Jinping pushes aside his own political appointees.

In other words, Xi’s iron grip on the military not only endures, it is also indicative of his obsession with breaking the PLA’s insularity and endemic corruption and ensuring that, should he need to bet the regime on the military’s prowess, it will not fail.

President Trump said Chinese President Xi Jinping assured him the People’s Republic will not invade Taiwan while Trump is in office. Trump make the remarks during an interview Friday with Fox News’ “Special Report,