Xi Jinping used an unusual historical reference during his meeting with Donald Trump in Beijing: the "Thucydides Trap," a well-known theory in international politics that warns of the danger of war between a rising power and an existing superpower.
The term comes from the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who wrote that the Peloponnesian War broke out because "the rise of Athens and the fear it created in Sparta made war inevitable."
Today, the analogy is often used for the rivalry between China and the United States: China as a rising power and the US as the traditional superpower that feels threatened by its economic, military, and technological expansion.
During the meeting, Xi publicly asked whether China and the US could "overcome the so-called Thucydides Trap" and avoid conflict between great powers.
The reference was not merely academic. Later, the Chinese leader warned Trump that any mistake on the Taiwan issue could push the two countries towards a clash. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory, while Washington remains the self-governing island's main international backer.
However, at the state dinner, Xi used a more conciliatory tone, declaring that the "great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation" and the American slogan "Make America Great Again" can go hand in hand.
On the other hand, Trump reacted on social media by saying that Xi referred to the United States as "a nation in decline," but added that this no longer applied to America under his leadership.
