Xi expressed hope for a beneficial, cooperative US-China relationship but also warned of the need to avoid conflict, asking “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers.”
The AP noted that Xi has used the term “Thucydides Trap” for many years, which refers to the risk of war between a rising power and an established power, but said it was significant that he used it in comments directly to Trump.
Trump’s visit to Beijing, which includes a large delegation of his senior officials and CEOs of private US companies, comes a few months after his administration approved $11 billion in arms sales to Taiwan, more than were approved during the entire Biden administration, prompting Beijing to launch major military drills around the island.
The US does not appear to be heeding China’s warnings regarding Taiwan, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio downplayed what Xi told Trump, telling NBC News: “They always raise it on their side. We always make clear our position, and we move on to the other topics.”
While issuing warnings about potential conflicts, Xi also stressed that the US and China could maintain a beneficial relationship. “Achieving the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation and making America great again can go hand in hand,” he said. “We can help each other succeed and advance the well-being of the whole world.”
The two leaders also discussed the US-Israeli war against Iran, with the White House saying that the two sides agreed the Strait of Hormuz “must remain open to support the free flow of energy” and that Xi “also made clear China’s opposition to the militarization of the strait and any effort to charge a toll for its use.” Chinese officials did not mention Iran or the Strait of Hormuz in their readouts of the meeting, which came as Iran was allowing Chinese tankers to exit the Persian Gulf.