Xi Raises “Thucydides Trap” Warning as Trump Arrives in Beijing for Two-Day Summit
CNBC reported Thursday that President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a two-day face-to-face summit in Beijing, with trade, tariffs, Taiwan, Iran, and artificial intelligence all expected to feature in their discussions.
Trump opened his remarks by predicting the bilateral relationship would reach an unprecedented high, according to footage from official Chinese broadcasts. He also noted the two leaders have known each other longer than any other pairing of U.S. and Chinese presidents.
Xi Frames the Summit Around a Question of War and Peace
Speaking before Trump, Xi posed a pointed historical question. He asked whether Washington and Beijing could sidestep the so-called Thucydides Trap, a concept describing how rising powers and established ones have historically clashed in armed conflict. Harvard professor Graham Allison, who popularized the term, told CNBC he expects the informal trade truce the two sides struck last autumn in South Korea to be upgraded into a binding deal.
Xi also singled out Taiwan as the single most consequential issue in the bilateral relationship. He warned that mishandling the question could push ties toward genuinely dangerous territory. Beijing regards Taiwan as its own territory, a position the island’s democratically elected government firmly rejects.
A Packed Schedule and a Symbolic Setting
Beyond the opening session, Trump’s Thursday itinerary included a visit to the Temple of Heaven, one of Beijing’s most historically significant landmarks, followed by a formal state dinner. Further high-level discussions between the two leaders are scheduled to continue through Friday midday.
The visit marks the first time a sitting U.S. president has traveled to China in nearly a decade. Analysts note the backdrop has shifted dramatically since Trump’s 2017 Beijing trip. Trade tensions have intensified, and Washington has imposed sweeping restrictions on Chinese access to advanced technology.
Background: A More Confident China Enters the Room
China is arriving at this summit from a position of greater self-assurance, according to Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Kennedy argued Beijing has largely weathered the pressure from Trump’s so-called Liberation Day tariffs, which China was the first major economy to retaliate against in April 2025. Xi has spent months demonstrating that China can absorb external shocks without major concessions.
A delegation of prominent U.S. business executives accompanied Trump on the trip, signaling that commercial deal-making remains central to the visit’s ambitions even as geopolitical flashpoints compete for attention.
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