Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his White House summit with US President Donald Trump, called for extensive cooperation between the two nations to avoid a military collision, referencing the "Thucydides trap." He proposed strengthening communication through candid dialogue to understand each other better, seek common ground, and build mutual trust. Xi highlighted the deep intertwining of US and Chinese interests, noting that while cooperation might not solve every global problem, many would be difficult to solve without it. He reiterated his message that both countries stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation, advocating for a healthy competition that is a race to catch up rather than a winner-take-all struggle.
The summit also addressed intense competition in areas like artificial intelligence and trade. Xi stressed that both China and the US, as leading nations in AI, have the capability and responsibility to develop and manage the technology for good, ensuring it remains under human control and serves public well-being. This discussion followed an agreement between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to establish an early-warning mechanism for AI incidents that could threaten national security. The leaders also planned to discuss the ongoing trade dispute, with a tariff truce extended by two months until January 2027, and Beijing raising the possibility of a more ambitious trade deal.
Xi's visit is his second meeting with Trump this year, after Trump's trip to Beijing in May. The leaders plan to meet again in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum in Shenzhen and at the G20 summit in Miami in December, aiming to preserve strategic stability amidst geopolitical turmoil, including the war in Iran. To foster understanding and future cooperation, Xi extended an invitation for 100,000 young Americans to visit China for exchanges and study over the next five years, emphasizing that the future of the China-US relationship lies with the youth. Trump, in turn, expressed that he had forged a "truly great friendship" with Xi and that they had made "tremendous strides" on issues facing their countries.
