Xi holds talks with Trump in Beijing

Photo: Xinhua

Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with visiting U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday, Xinhua reports.

Transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent, said Xi.

"Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides Trap and create a new paradigm of major-country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide greater stability for the world? Can we build a bright future together for our bilateral relations in the interest of the well-being of the two peoples and the future of humanity? These are the questions vital to history, to the world and to the people," said Xi.

They are the questions of the times that the leaders of major countries need to answer together, he added.

"I look forward to working together with you to set the course and steer the giant ship of China-U.S. relations, so as to make 2026 a historic, landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-U.S. relations," he said.

"I have agreed with President Trump on a new vision of building a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability," Xi said.

The new vision will provide strategic guidance for bilateral relations over the next three years and beyond, and should be welcomed by the people of both countries as well as the international community, he said.

The "constructive strategic stability" should be a positive stability with cooperation as the mainstay, a sound stability with moderate competition, a constant stability with manageable differences, and an enduring stability with promises of peace, Xi said.

The building of a constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability should not be a mere slogan, but concrete action taken by both sides toward the same goal, he added.

China-U.S. economic ties are mutually beneficial and win-win in nature, said Xi. "Where disagreements and frictions exist, equal-footed consultation is the only right choice," he said.

Xi revealed that the economic and trade teams of the two countries produced "generally balanced and positive outcomes" in the latest round of bilateral trade talks on Wednesday.

"This is good news for the people of the two countries and the world," he said, calling on the two sides to sustain the good momentum that they have worked hard to create.

Noting that China will only open its door wider, Xi said American companies are deeply involved in China's reform and opening up, and the U.S. side is welcome to enhance mutually beneficial cooperation.

"The two sides should implement the important consensus we have reached, and make better use of communication channels in the political, diplomatic and military-to-military fields," Xi said.

The two countries should also expand exchanges and cooperation in areas such as the economy and trade, health, agriculture, tourism, people-to-people ties and law enforcement, he added.

Regarding the Taiwan question, Xi stressed that it is the most important issue in China-U.S. relations.

If it is handled properly, the bilateral relationship will enjoy overall stability. Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy, Xi said, urging the U.S. side to exercise extra caution in handling the Taiwan question.

Safeguarding cross-Strait peace and stability is the biggest common denominator between China and the United States, Xi said, emphasizing that "Taiwan independence" and cross-Strait peace are as irreconcilable as fire and water.

Trump said it was a great honor to pay a state visit to China, calling Xi a great leader and China a great country. "I have tremendous respect for President Xi and the Chinese people," Trump said.

Trump expressed his willingness to work with Xi to strengthen communication and cooperation, properly handle differences, make bilateral relations better than ever before and embrace a fantastic future.

The United States and China are the most important and most powerful countries in the world, and the two presidents can "do a lot of big and good things for the two countries and the world," he said.

Trump encouraged representatives of the U.S. business community to expand cooperation with China.

The two presidents exchanged views on major international and regional issues, such as the Middle East situation, the Ukraine crisis, and the Korean Peninsula.

They also agreed to support each other in hosting a successful APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting and G20 Summit this year.

President Trump speaks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Temple of Heaven on May 14, 2026
Photo: Getty Images

NYP: Xi raises prospect of a future US-China war in meeting with Trump: ‘Thucydides trap’

Xi raises prospect of a future US-China war in meeting with Trump: ‘Thucydides trap’, ‘The New York Post’ writes.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping opened Wednesday’s high-stakes meeting with President Trump by ominously raising the prospect of a future war between the US and China.

Xi referenced a geopolitical concept known as the Thucydides trap, or the risks that arise when an emerging power challenges a stronger, more established power.

“The whole world is watching our meeting,” Xi began inside Beijing’s Great Hall of the People,

“Currently, transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent,” he continued, according to one translation of his remarks. “The world has come to a new crossroads.

“Can China and the United States overcome the Thucydides trap and create a new paradigm of major country relations? Can we meet global challenges together and provide more stability for the world? Can we, in the interest of the well-being of our two peoples and the future of humanity, build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations?”

Xi has referred to the Thucydides trap, a term coined by Harvard professor Graham Allison, since at least 2014 regarding the US. The concept was named after ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who wrote that the rise of Athens put Sparta in such a defensive posture that war was inevitable.

Xi described the issues facing the US and China as “questions vital to history” and to “the world and to the people.”

Trump, who spoke after Xi, didn’t specifically address his counterpart’s remarks but predicted: “The relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”

“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend,” Trump said.

“I really look very much forward to our discussion,” he added. “It’s a big discussion. There are those that say, this is maybe the biggest summit ever.”

The two delegations met for about two hours inside the Great Hall.

Xi’s ‘key message’

Some experts, however, did not interpret Xi’s remarks as foreboding.

“What Xi Jinping said in that speech is that we can transcend the Thucydides trap,” Sky News Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith said. “So what he’s saying is that, you know, ‘We are an upcoming power and you should not be threatened by us.’

“That’s his key message.”

Ahead of the meeting, Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged Xi’s ambitions but was adamant that China’s “rise cannot come at our expense.”

“They believe they will be the world’s most powerful country, they’ll surpass the United States, and they have a plan to do it, and they’re executing on that plan, and I don’t blame them,” Rubio said in an interview with Fox News’ “Hannity.”

Rubio insisted the Trump administration is “not trying to constrain China” but would also not allow it to attain power and influence at the expense of the US.

“Their rise cannot come at our fall. So there’s an area where we’re just going to have a difference of opinion,” Rubio said.

“That’ll come up on this trip,” the top US diplomat added, “but more importantly, that’ll be a feature of this relationship for a long time.”

Photo: Getty Images