China: Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his bilateral meeting with US President Donald Trump on Thursday, sent a powerful message that the US and China should be partners, not rivals, saying both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, and urged them to work together for mutual prosperity and global stability in the new era.
Speaking during the high-level meeting, Xi said that the US and China should be partners and should help each other succeed and prosper together, finding the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era.
Xi said the world is undergoing major global changes and instability, with close attention on China-US relations. He urged both countries to avoid rivalry and instead cooperate to build a more stable and positive future together.
“The whole world is watching our meeting. Currently, a transformation not seen in a century is accelerating across the globe, and the international situation is fluid and turbulent. 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 interests of the well-being of our two peoples and the future of humanity, build a brighter future together for our bilateral relations?” Xi said.
“These are the questions vital to history, to the world, and to the people. They are the questions of our times that you and I need to answer as leaders of major countries,” he added.
Xi, through his “Thucydides trap” remark, referred to the recent conflict in West Asia between the US and Iran. The term, first popularized by Harvard scholar Graham T Allison, highlights the intense structural tensions and increased risk of conflict that arise when an emerging power challenges the dominance of an existing global power.
Xi said that both countries have more common interests than differences, adding that both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation.
“I always believe that our two countries have more common interests than differences. Success in one is an opportunity for the other. A stable bilateral relationship is good for the world. China and the United States both stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation,” he stated.
“We should be partners, not rivals. We should help each other succeed and prosper together and find the right way for major countries to get along well with each other in the new era,” Xi added.
The Chinese President further expressed hope that both leaders could work together to open “a new chapter” in bilateral relations.
“Mr President, I look forward to our discussions on major issues important to our two countries and the world. And working together with you to set the course for and steer the giant ship of China-US relations so as to make 2026 a historic landmark year that opens up a new chapter in China-US relations,” Xi said.
The meeting between the two leaders comes amid continued global focus on US-China ties, particularly on issues related to trade, technology, regional security, and geopolitical competition.
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