‘Both will lose in confrontation’: Xi says US and China should ‘coexist in peace’
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Both will lose in confrontation’: Xi says US and China should ‘coexist in peace’")
US President Donald Trump (R) looks on as China's President Xi Jinping delivers remarks in the Cross Hall of the White House in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Xi Jinping urged Donald Trump to strengthen US-China communication, warning that both nations would lose in a confrontation. He called for peace, military dialogue, AI cooperation and fair trade ties.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday (Sep 24) called for deeper communication and cooperation with the United States, warning that growing rivalry between the two powers must not slide into military confrontation. Speaking at the start of his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House, Xi said both countries should work to understand their differences while building trust.
“We should strengthen communication. China and the United States are different in national conditions, but through candid, in-depth and continued dialogue, our two countries can understand each other better, seek common ground while shelving differences, and build up mutual trust,” Xi said.
He urged the two countries to “coexist in peace” and said both sides would suffer from a conflict.
“China and the United States, as two major countries, stand to gain from cooperation and will both lose in a confrontation,” Xi said.
Xi invokes ‘Thucydides trap’
Xi also called for stronger military-to-military communication and better mechanisms to prevent crises from escalating.
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“Our two militaries should maintain regular dialogue and improve mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention,” he said.
The Chinese president said these measures could help the US and China avoid the “Thucydides trap”, a term used to describe tensions that can emerge when a rising power challenges an established one.
“With such conditions in place, the Thucydides trap can be overcome,” Xi said.
His comments came as Washington and Beijing remain locked in competition over trade, technology and artificial intelligence. Their meeting is also expected to cover Taiwan and other sensitive geopolitical issues.
What Xi said on AI and trade
Xi said the two countries have a shared responsibility in managing AI and should “ensure the development of AI is always under human control and serve the wellbeing of the people.”
He also said China welcomes American companies and investors, while calling for Chinese firms to be “treated fairly” in the US.
“China keeps its door wide open and welcomes American companies who want to do business and invest there,” he said. “We hope Chinese companies are treated fairly here in the United States”.
The Chinese president invited 100,000 American students to visit China over the next five years for exchanges and study.
Trump, meanwhile, praised his relationship with Xi, calling it a “truly great friendship” and saying the two nations had made “tremendous strides” on issues facing them.
