Trump and Xi Discuss Avoiding 'Thucydides Trap' to Prevent US-China Conflict

Chinese President Xi Jinping called for extensive cooperation with Washington to avoid the "Thucydides Trap" during a White House summit with President Donald Trump, aiming to prevent military conflict amid tensions over artificial intelligence, trade, and Taiwan. Xi proposed enhanced communication and crisis prevention mechanisms between the two nations' armed forces. Xi stated that China and the US "must coexist peacefully," emphasizing that both countries would benefit from cooperation and lose from confrontation. He referenced the Greek historian's concept describing tensions when a rising power challenges an established one, having previously raised the phrase during his May meeting with Trump in Beijing. Xi also invited 100,000 young Americans to visit China for student exchanges. Trump welcomed Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan, noting this was the first Chinese leader to make a second official state visit to the US. The summit follows US export controls on AI chips and semiconductors, while a trade truce was extended to February. Analysts expressed skepticism about long-term stability, with China projected to record a one-trillion-dollar trade deficit for a second consecutive year.