Xi Calls for US-China Cooperation to Avoid ‘Thucydides Trap’

WASHINGTON: Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for stronger cooperation, sustained dialogue and improved crisis-management mechanisms between China and the United States, saying the two countries can avoid military confrontation despite their growing strategic competition.

Speaking at the White House during his state visit to the United States, Xi said Washington and Beijing should strengthen communication, deepen mutual understanding and seek common ground while managing their differences.

“China and the United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in confrontation,” Xi said, according to remarks reported from the meeting. He also called for regular dialogue between the two countries’ militaries and stronger mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.

Xi specifically referred to the “Thucydides Trap,” a concept used to describe the risk of conflict when a rising power challenges an established one. He said the trap could be overcome through communication, mutual trust and peaceful coexistence.

The Chinese president said competition between the two countries did not necessarily have to lead to confrontation, arguing that it should remain within reasonable limits. He also called for stronger contacts between government departments responsible for foreign affairs, economic affairs, financial cooperation, law enforcement and people-to-people exchanges.

Xi also proposed expanding people-to-people exchanges, including an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China through student exchange programmes.

US President Donald Trump, welcoming Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan to the White House, said the two leaders had made progress on issues affecting their countries and highlighted efforts toward what he described as a more balanced trading relationship.

Trump said discussions during the visit would cover trade, security, technology and artificial intelligence. The two sides are also dealing with longstanding disagreements over Taiwan, technology restrictions and broader strategic competition.

The meeting comes amid renewed efforts by Washington and Beijing to manage economic and strategic tensions. The two countries have recently agreed to extend a fragile trade truce, while negotiations continue over market access and other economic issues.

Xi said cooperation between China and the United States could not resolve every global challenge but argued that many international problems would be difficult to address without cooperation between the two major powers.

The Chinese leader also urged greater cooperation in artificial intelligence, saying both countries have the capability and responsibility to develop and manage the technology in ways that serve broader human interests.

The discussions in Washington are being closely watched as the two countries seek to balance economic cooperation with disagreements over security, technology and geopolitical issues.