What is the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and why did Xi warn Trump about it for US-China?

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (May 14) reached deep into history to frame the future of United States-China ties as he met his US counterpart Donald Trump in Beijing for high-level talks. Xi warned against the “Thucydides Trap” – the idea that conflict can erupt when a rising power challenges an established one. Graham Allison, the political scientist who popularised the term, speaks to CNA’s Asia First about whether it is an accurate description of relations between the US and China. The Douglas Dillon Professor of Government at Harvard Kennedy School also shares what typically happens when an existing power tries to stop an emerging one.

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