Xi Jinping references Thucydides Trap during White House meeting with Trump

During a three-day visit to Washington, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. A significant moment in their discussions involved Xi's reference to the ‘Thucydides Trap,’ a term coined by Harvard professor Graham Allison to describe the structural stress that occurs when a rising power threatens to displace an existing dominant power.

Xi suggested that the ‘Thucydides Trap’ can be overcome, framing the rise of China and the American goal of making America great again as realities that can coexist. This rhetoric is viewed as a diplomatic effort to encourage the United States to recognize China's strategic role and seek a new balance of power. While the concept serves as a warning of potential conflict, analysts note that history does not dictate an inevitable war, and the central challenge remains whether the two nations can manage their competition and emerging technologies, such as AI, without descending into military confrontation.