Chinese leader warns of heavy costs of Washington-Beijing confrontation

Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for broader cooperation between Beijing and Washington to prevent the so-called “Thucydides trap” and avert the risk of military confrontation between the world’s two major powers, The Guardian reports.

Speaking at the start of his summit with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Xi outlined what he described as the foundations for mutual understanding and peaceful coexistence between the two countries.

“We should strengthen communication. China and the United States are different in national conditions, but through candid, in-depth and continued dialogue, our two countries can understand each other better, seek common ground while shelving differences, and build up mutual trust,” Xi said.

“We should coexist in peace,” he said. “China and the United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in confrontation. Our two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.”

With such conditions in place, Xi said, “the Thucydides trap can be overcome”, referring to the concept, associated with ancient Greek historian Thucydides, that tensions can arise when a rising power challenges an established one.

Xi previously invoked the concept during his meeting with Trump in Beijing in May, asking the US president how he planned to avoid such a confrontation.

His proposals for reducing tensions also included inviting 100,000 young Americans to China for student exchanges. The initiative comes amid intense competition between the two countries over artificial intelligence and trade, with Washington and Beijing imposing tariffs on each other.

Trump earlier welcomed Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, to the White House, noting that Xi was the first Chinese leader to make a second state visit to the United States. His previous visit took place in 2015, when Barack Obama was president.

Trump said he had developed “a truly great friendship” with Xi.

“President Xi and I have made tremendous strides on the issues facing our two countries,” he said. “Our teams have been working to encourage a more balances trading relationship, including the new market access for American farmers and ranchers.”

Trump said the talks would cover security, technology and artificial intelligence, which he referred to as “super intelligence”, a term he introduced during his address to the United Nations General Assembly on September 22.

By Vafa Guliyeva