# What Is the Thucydides Trap and Why Did Xi Raise It With Trump?

https://mins.news/en/item/73385

- Bloomberg News, 2026-09-25 03:45 UTC
- Politics
- Original: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-09-25/what-is-the-thucydides-trap-and-why-did-xi-raise-it-with-trump?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=6ab5ee4029ff15000114f81e

> When Chinese President Xi Jinping met US leader Donald Trump in Washington on Thursday, he urged greater cooperation to prevent the two countries from falling into the “Thucydides Trap.” The academic-sounding phrase speaks to Beijing’s ambitions for the relationship, and Xi had raised the same idea during Trump’s visit to China in May.

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