Xi Jinping Raises Thucydides Trap at White House Talks With Trump

Chinese President Xi Jinping invoked the "Thucydides Trap" during his meeting with Donald Trump at the White House, using the term to frame the rivalry between the United States and China.

The phrase refers to an idea drawn from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, whose account of the Peloponnesian War is often reduced to the proposition that war becomes likely when a rising power threatens to displace a ruling one. In modern commentary, the concept has become shorthand for the risk of conflict between a rising China and the United States, the established power.

Xi's use of the term at the White House placed that risk at the centre of the two leaders' discussions. According to the wire account, Xi said the two countries can overcome the trap, suggesting that the outcome is not predetermined.

The invocation is notable because the phrase is most often associated with analysts who warn of an intensifying US-China rivalry. By raising it himself, Xi framed the relationship as one that can be managed rather than one destined for confrontation.

The meeting between the two presidents was the setting for the remark, which has since drawn attention for what it signals about how Beijing characterises the bilateral relationship.