Xi says US and China can overcome Thucydides Trap at White House summit

September 26, 2026 at 11:05 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

Chinese President Xi Jinping said the Thucydides Trap can be overcome upon arriving at the White House to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday. The statement contrasts with his May summit question on whether the two countries could avoid the trap. Xi also called for healthy competition without confrontation and improved military crisis communication.

Key Facts

Xi Jinping said the Thucydides Trap can be overcome on Thursday at the White House, according to the Chinese side's official readout.
The Thucydides Trap, popularized by Harvard professor Graham Allison, refers to how tensions between a rising and ruling power have historically often resulted in war.
Xi's state visit to the U.S. this week was his first in 11 years.
Cui Shoujun, a professor at Renmin University of China, called the establishment of a bottom line of competing without military conflict the most significant political outcome of the summit.

Thucydides Trap Concept

The Thucydides Trap, popularized by Harvard professor Graham Allison in the early 2010s, refers to how tensions between a rising and ruling power have historically often resulted in a war. Thucydides was an Athenian general in ancient Greece whose historical record of the Peloponnesian War described how Athens' rapid rise alarmed Sparta and made war inevitable. Allison has met Xi and visited China multiple times, including in June 2026 for a World Economic Forum event. Allison was founding dean of Harvard's Kennedy School, which for decades trained many of China's government officials.

Xi's Statements

Xi referred to the Thucydides Trap during a rare interview published by HuffPost in 2014, saying all need to work together to avoid destructive tensions between emerging and established powers. A state media article following his 2015 visit noted Xi's interest in the Thucydides Trap reflected his view that major powers' suspicion of each other, rather than inevitability, results in conflict. Xi's comment on Thursday about overcoming the trap followed remarks on peaceful coexistence and healthy competition without confrontation. Xi said the two countries' militaries should improve crisis communication and prevention.

Summit Outcome

Cui Shoujun, a professor at Renmin University of China's School of International Studies, said the establishment of a bottom line of competing intensely without military conflict is the most significant political outcome of the summit. Cui said this injected certainty into the volatile bilateral relationship. Trump's comments on Xi's arrival at the White House only emphasized general collaboration. The U.S. president has yet to comment on Taiwan around this summit, despite Xi calling on the U.S.