During a meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing, Chinese President Xi Jinping urged China and the United States to “transcend the Thucydides Trap,” stressing the need to explore a new model of major-power relations. The remarks were widely seen as a significant political statement on the evolving dynamics of China–US competition.
During the talks at the Great Hall of the People, Xi said the world is undergoing “accelerated changes unseen in a century,” and whether China and the US can overcome the so-called “Thucydides Trap” has become a major issue concerning history, the world, and the people. He stressed that conflict between a rising power and an established power is not inevitable, and that the two countries should jointly address global challenges and promote stable development of bilateral relations.
He also said that shared interests between China and the US outweigh their differences, that each country’s success can serve as an opportunity for the other, and that stable relations are beneficial to the world. Xi further called for the creation of a “new paradigm for major-country relations,” framing current challenges as a “task of the era” that both sides must jointly address.
In contrast, US President Trump responded in a more personal tone, describing Xi as a “great leader” and a “friend,” and expressing optimism about further improvement in China–US relations. He emphasized that ties between the two countries were strong, and characterized his interactions with Xi as “long-standing and positive.”
The “Thucydides Trap” refers to the structural tension and heightened risk of conflict that arises when a rising power challenges an established hegemon. The concept was popularized by Harvard professor Graham Allison, who drew on the historical example of Sparta and Athens, where Sparta’s fear of Athens’ rise ultimately made war more likely.
Commentary:
Xi’s reference to the “Thucydides Trap” serves, on one hand, to underscore China’s status as a major power on equal footing with the United States, rather than a passive participant in global order shifts. On the other hand, it responds to long-standing external narratives that frame China–US relations as inevitably conflictual, seeking instead to shape an alternative Chinese narrative of great-power competition.
From this perspective, the “Thucydides Trap” is more than a theoretical reference in international relations. It is a strategic framing: it acknowledges the existence of competition while rejecting the idea that conflict is unavoidable, instead advancing the notion that it can be avoided or transcended. It is also widely interpreted as a signal to Washington that China’s rise does not necessarily constitute a threat to the United States, but rather a call to redefine China’s position and role within the existing international order.