Chinese President Xi Jinping, right, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 14. AP-Yonhap

BEIJING — President Donald Trump began his trip to Beijing on Thursday by telling Xi Jinping “it’s an honor to be your friend,” even as his Chinese counterpart offered a cautionary warning about avoiding a possible clash between the two nations.

The stark contrast in tone underscored just how far apart the leaders remain on thorny issues including the war in Iran, trade disputes and Washington’s relationship with Taiwan — and suggested that Trump and Xi’s highly anticipated meetings are likely to be longer on pageantry and symbolism than major breakthroughs.

In remarks before their meeting at the Great Hall of the People moved behind closed doors, Trump was full of platitudes, saying of Xi, “You’re a great leader. Sometimes people don’t like me saying it, but I say it anyway, because it’s true.”

“It’s an honor to be with you. It’s an honor to be your friend,” Trump said before promising that “the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before.”

Xi was darker, expressing hope that the U.S. and China can avoid conflict while saying that history, and the world were asking “whether the two countries can transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and forge a new model for relations between major powers.”

China's leader used a term popular in foreign policy studies, referring to the idea that when a rising power threatens to displace an established power, the result is often war.

“Cooperation benefits both sides, while confrontation harms both,” Xi said. “The two countries should be partners rather than rivals, achieve success together and pursue common prosperity, and chart a correct path for major-country relations in the new era.”

Xi has mentioned “Thucydides Trap” before with regards to U.S.-China relations, dating back to as early as 2014. China's leader included it in his messages to Trump’s predecessor, Democratic President Joe Biden, in 2022 and 2024. Still, his evoking the term as Trump began his visit with optimism was noteworthy.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, left, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, May 14. AP-Yonhap

Source: Korea Times News