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It is no surprise that Beijing is now embracing this construct, hoping to shift the responsibility for stability and avoiding escalation onto Washington.
U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, May 14, 2026.
At the high-stakes summit with President Donald Trump last month in Beijing, President Xi Jinping reached for an esoteric phrase to frame the state of China-U.S. relations – the “Thucydides Trap.”
“Can China and the U.S. transcend the so-called ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new paradigm for major-power relations?” Xi asked in his opening remarks.
