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Xi tells Trump that China and the US must avoid the Thucydides Trap, says both can cooperate, align the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation with Make America Great Again.
US President Donald Trump (L) and China’s President Xi Jinping during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. (AFP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday held talks with US President Donald Trump during which he raised the question of whether both countries can avoid “Thucydides Trap”.
In his opening remarks at the bilateral meeting, Xi termed the future of China-US relations as one of the defining questions in current era.
“Whether China and the United States can transcend the so-called Thucydides Trap and create a new normalization of relations between major powers; whether we can join hands to address global challenges and inject greater stability into the world; whether we can advance the well-being of the peoples of our two countries and the future destiny of humanity, and jointly create a better future for bilateral relations,” Xi said in his opening remarks.
What Is Thucydides Trap?
Thucydides Trap, popularised by American political scientist and Harvard professor Graham Allison in 2015, is derived from ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ account of the Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta. Thucydides wrote: “It was the rise of Athens, and the fear that rise engendered in Sparta, that made war inevitable.”
The phrase refers to how tensions, usually between a rising and ruling power, have often resulted in war.
What It Means In Current Geopolitics?
According to Graham Allison’s study, there have been 16 instances in past 500 years where a major rising power threatened to displace a major ruling power. In 16 of these instances, 12 rivalries resulted in war.
At present, China’s rise in the fields of economic, technology and military challenges the United States’ dominance as a global power.
While Xi’s remarks at the Thursday’s meeting with Trump was consistent – a conflict is not inevitable, he emphasised that “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation” and “Make America Great Again” can go hand in hand.
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