Xi believes the US and China can move past the 'Thucydides Trap,' report says

Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to believe that the United States and China can avoid the kind of destructive rivalry historically associated with the "Thucydides Trap," according to a report examining the evolving dynamic between the two powers.

The term refers to the historical pattern in which a rising power's challenge to an established one leads to conflict, a framework often invoked in discussions of US-China relations given Beijing's growing economic and military influence relative to Washington.

According to the report, the question of whether the two countries could sidestep this pattern was raised directly by Xi in a conversation with US President Donald Trump in May. At the time, the Chinese leader reportedly asked whether the two nations could avoid a destructive rivalry despite their strategic competition.

Months later, the report indicates that Xi has grown more confident in a positive answer, suggesting a shift in tone from the Chinese leadership regarding the trajectory of the relationship between the two economic and military powers.

The exchange comes against the backdrop of a broader recalibration in US-China relations, an area that has been a defining feature of American foreign and economic policy in recent years, as both nations navigate trade tensions, technological competition and questions over global influence.

Analysts have long debated whether the two countries could manage their rivalry without descending into confrontation, pointing to economic interdependence as a stabilizing factor even as strategic distrust persists on both sides.

The report does not detail what specific developments led to Xi's apparent shift in confidence, though it suggests that recent high-level engagement between the two leaders has played a role in shaping his outlook.