5 Traps for Trump and Xi
Xi raised the rivalry concept as China and the United States seek guardrails and a new model for managing competition, analysts said.
- On Thursday, President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping commenced a two-day summit in Beijing aimed at fostering stability in the US-China relationship.
- During opening remarks, Xi invoked the 'Thucydides Trap,' a concept popularized by Harvard political scientist Graham Allison describing structural tension when a rising power threatens to displace an established one.
- Xi told Trump that if Taiwan is handled well, U.S.-China relations 'will enjoy overall stability.' If not, the two countries risk 'clashes and even conflicts,' according to Xinhua.
- While Beijing promotes 'mutual respect' and 'win-win cooperation,' policymakers in Washington prefer emphasizing guardrails and risk management to manage the rivalry.
- Analyst Zichen Wang notes Xi's use of this framework dates to at least 2014, with Xi previously invoking the term during a November 2024 meeting with President Joe Biden in Peru.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Escape From the Thucydides Trap: Can China and the US Rewrite the History of Superpower Rivalry?
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects an honour guard with US President Donald Trump during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, 14 May 2026. Credit: EPA, Maxim Shemetov via AMNA China’s President Xi Jinping welcomed US President Donald Trump to Beijing on Wednesday with a somber reflection on the weight of history. Invoking the “Thucydides Trap,” the historical theory that a rising power and an established, lead…
Chinese President stated that the world is living a 'new crossroads' and said that the planet is accompanying this Thursday's meeting (14). Xi and Trump met in Beijing.
MichaelSavage.com – Xi raises prospect of a future US-China war in meeting with Trump: ‘Thucydides trap’
Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened Wednesday’s high-stakes meeting with President Trump by ominously raising the prospect of a future war between the US and China. Xi referenced a geopolitical concept known as the Thucydides trap, or the risks that arise when an emerging power challenges a stronger, more established power. “The whole world is watching…
Leggi su Il Fatto Quotidiano.it: Xi Jinping evokes Tucydide's trap in the meeting with Trump in Beijing, warning about the risks of conflict between China and the United States.
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