發佈日期: 2026-05-14 20:23

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In Beijing, an academic believes that President Xi Jinping's reiteration of the "Thucydides Trap" is a plea for the US to refrain from suppressing China, and that for China and the US to coexist peacefully.

President Xi Jinping had earlier mentioned the "Thucydides Trap" during his state visit to the US in 2015, saying that it was not an inevitable reality.

Thucydides was an ancient Greek historian who described the relationship between then "superpowers" Athens and Sparta in the 5th century BC. 

He pointed out that Athens' rapid rise to power prompted a Spartan response, ultimately leading to war that destroyed both city-states.

Harvard University scholar Graham Allison first applied this concept to Sino-US relations in 2012.

An academic in international relations believes that Xi Jinping's revisiting of the "Thucydides Trap" is a hope that the US will not misjudge and suppress China.

Wang Yiwei from Renmin University said President Xi's point is that the countries should not repeat historical tragedies, and that China and the US should find a way to coexist peacefully.

He said some conservatives in the US think China could use American semiconductors to launch a smart attack against the US.

Wang said President Xi's point is that the two sides should not misjudge, and they should not imagine and fall into a self-fulfilling prophecy that "the other side will attack us, so you attack first."

The acdemic also said Xi Jinping wants the US to handle the Taiwan issue with utmost caution.

The key is for the US to stop arms sales to Taiwan, and refrain from interfering with cross straits affairs.