Beijing:
Chinese President Xi Jinping opened his high-stakes meeting with Donald Trump by arguing that stabilising US-China ties mattered not just for both economies but for the world. He noted that their summit was being closely watched by the world and asked whether the two largest economies could escape the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations.
“The whole world is watching our meeting…Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent,” he said.
“Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we, in the interest of the well-being of our two peoples and the future of humanity, build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations?”
Xi added that “cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both”.
There have been plenty of “confrontations” between Beijing and Washington since Trump’s last visit in 2017, with the two countries having spent much of 2025 embroiled in a dizzying trade war and at odds on many major global issues.
What’s A ‘Thucydides Trap’
Xi has mentioned the “Thucydides Trap” before with regard to US-China relations, dating back to as early as 2014. The term refers to a theory that a rising power and an established hegemon are destined for war.
The term was coined by Harvard professor Graham Allison, who started using it at least by 2014, regarding the US. It comes from ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ account of the destructive Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, in which he remarked that “It was the rise of Athens and the fear that rise engendered in Sparta that made war inevitable.”
Allison’s research draws similar patterns playing out repeatedly across history, and he uses the framing as a lens to examine the US-China rivalry.
How The Term Applies To US-China Ties
To put it in simple terms, the term defines structural tension. China’s economic, technological, and military rise challenges the United States’ long-standing dominance as a global superpower. Even if both nations don’t seek any confrontation, the risk is that competition itself creates pressure that’s hard to control.
Xi’s message has been consistent over the years: a conflict isn’t inevitable. Beijing’s stance is that the two nations should find a way to co-exist with “mutual respect” and “win-win cooperation”.
