Chinese President Xi Jinping used a high-profile meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday to call for stronger communication, regular military dialogue and closer cooperation, arguing that the world’s two largest powers must prevent their growing strategic rivalry from turning into military conflict.

Speaking alongside Trump at the beginning of their summit, Xi warned that confrontation between the United States and China would hurt both countries. He called for the two governments to manage their differences through sustained dialogue and said their militaries should maintain regular communication and improve mechanisms designed to prevent crises.

Xi also invoked the concept known as the “Thucydides Trap” — the historical idea that tensions between a rising power and an established power can eventually lead to conflict.

The Chinese leader said the United States and China should work to overcome that danger rather than allow compeтιтion to become a struggle in which one side must defeat the other.

Xi’s message centered on the need to keep compeтιтion between Washington and Beijing within limits.

“The two countries should coexist in peace,” Xi said, according to reports of his remarks.

He argued that the United States and China have different political and economic systems but can still cooperate if both sides maintain candid and sustained communication.

Xi specifically called for regular dialogue between the two militaries and stronger mechanisms for crisis communication and prevention.

The proposal is significant because the relationship between Washington and Beijing extends well beyond trade. The two governments compete over military power, advanced technology, artificial intelligence, semiconductor production and influence across the Indo-Pacific.

The possibility of an accidental military confrontation has become an important concern, particularly because American and Chinese forces operate in areas where their interests overlap.

Taiwan is one of the most sensitive points.

Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has repeatedly said it reserves the right to use force if necessary. The United States, meanwhile, maintains unofficial relations with Taiwan and is legally committed to providing the island with defensive weapons.

That disagreement has repeatedly placed Taiwan at the center of U.S.-China tensions.

Although Thursday’s public remarks emphasized cooperation, Taiwan remains one of the most difficult issues between the two governments.

China has urged Washington to stop arms sales to Taiwan and to oppose what Beijing describes as Taiwanese independence.

The United States has maintained that it opposes unilateral changes to the status quo across the Taiwan Strait.

The issue has become especially sensitive as both countries expand their military capabilities in the region.

During an earlier Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing in May, Xi warned that mishandling Taiwan could push the two countries into a dangerous confrontation.

On Thursday, Xi again urged Washington to handle the Taiwan issue carefully.

According to Chinese state media, he called on the United States to adhere to the principle of opposing Taiwanese independence and to approach the issue cautiously.

The White House did not immediately provide a detailed public account of the private conversation.

That difference in emphasis is important. While Xi publicly stressed avoiding conflict, the fundamental disagreement over Taiwan remains unresolved.

Trump also struck a positive tone during the public portion of the meeting.

The U.S. president welcomed Xi to the White House and described the relationship between the two leaders as a strong personal partnership.

Trump said the two sides had made progress on several issues and highlighted efforts to create what he described as a more balanced trading relationship.

He specifically mentioned greater market access for American farmers and ranchers.

Trump also said the two leaders would discuss security, technology and artificial intelligence.

The ceremonial side of the visit was unusually elaborate. Trump hosted Xi at the White House with military honors and gave the Chinese president a tour of the Marine One helicopter and the newly redesigned South Lawn.

The presentation was intended to demonstrate the importance Washington attached to Xi’s visit.

Despite the friendly atmosphere surrounding the summit, major economic disagreements remain.

The United States and China have spent years imposing tariffs and other restrictions on each other’s goods and companies.

Ahead of Thursday’s meeting, the two countries agreed to extend their existing trade truce for another two months.

The extension prevents an immediate escalation but does not resolve the underlying disputes.

According to Reuters reporting summarized after the summit, the two sides still face difficult questions involving tariffs, Chinese purchases of American goods, rare-earth supplies and restrictions on advanced technology.

The short extension therefore gives negotiators more time but leaves many of the most difficult economic questions unresolved.

For both governments, trade has become closely connected to national security.

Washington has increasingly restricted China’s access to advanced semiconductors and other sensitive technologies, arguing that certain technologies have military and security implications.

Beijing has responded with restrictions of its own, including controls affecting strategically important materials.

Artificial intelligence was another major subject during the summit.

Both the United States and China are investing heavily in AI, viewing the technology as important to economic growth, scientific research and national security.

Trump has promoted the development of increasingly powerful AI systems and has emphasized American technological leadership.

Xi took a somewhat different emphasis during his remarks.

He said the United States and China have both the ability and the responsibility to develop and manage AI in ways that benefit society.

He argued that AI development should remain under human control and serve the well-being of people.

The comments reflect an increasingly important reality: compeтιтion between Washington and Beijing is no longer limited to traditional military power or manufacturing.

Control over advanced computing, semiconductors, AI models and related infrastructure has become a central part of the broader strategic compeтιтion.

The two countries therefore face a difficult balance between technological compeтιтion and the need to prevent that compeтιтion from creating new security risks.

Xi also used the meeting to encourage American companies to continue doing business in China.

He said China’s door remained open to U.S. companies that wanted to invest and operate in the country.

At the same time, Xi said he hoped Chinese companies would receive fair treatment in the United States.

The comments come as both governments increasingly scrutinize foreign investment and technology transfers.

For American businesses, China remains an enormous market.

For China, continued access to international capital, technology and consumer markets remains important despite Beijing’s efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains.

The challenge for both sides is to maintain economic ties while reducing their dependence on each other in areas considered strategically sensitive.

Xi’s reference to the “Thucydides Trap” was one of the most significant elements of his remarks.

The concept refers to the possibility that compeтιтion between a rising power and an established power can create tensions that ultimately lead to war.

The term is named after the ancient Greek historian Thucydides, who described the growing power of Athens and the fear it generated in Sparta as a major factor behind the Peloponnesian War.

Xi previously raised the concept during his meeting with Trump in Beijing in May, asking how the two countries could avoid falling into such a pattern.

At Thursday’s meeting, Xi again argued that the United States and China could avoid that outcome.

His proposed approach was based on communication, cooperation, military dialogue and managing differences rather than eliminating compeтιтion altogether.

The message does not mean Beijing and Washington have abandoned strategic compeтιтion.

Instead, Xi’s comments suggest that China wants compeтιтion to continue within what Beijing considers manageable boundaries.

The call for regular military communication is particularly relevant because the United States and China operate powerful armed forces in the same strategic regions.

American and Chinese ships and aircraft regularly operate in and around the western Pacific.

A collision, miscalculation or misunderstanding could potentially trigger a crisis even if neither government intended to begin a larger conflict.

Military-to-military communication channels are therefore designed to give both sides a way to clarify intentions and reduce the risk of escalation.

Xi’s proposal for stronger crisis-prevention mechanisms reflects that concern.

The goal would not necessarily be to eliminate disagreements but to ensure that disagreements do not automatically become military confrontations.

The summit also took place against the backdrop of the continuing conflict involving Iran.

The United States and China have different positions on the co. fluence Tehran, while Beijing has criticized U.S. and Israeli military actions and maintained economic relations with Iran.

During the Trump-Xi discussions, China expressed support for the United States and Iran returning to an interim agreement that had previously been reached during the summer.

That agreement subsequently collapsed as fighting resumed around the Strait of Hormuz.

The issue gives the Trump-Xi relationship another international dimension.

Washington wants Beijing to use its economic relationship with Iran to encourage Tehran toward an agreement.

Beijing, however, has its own strategic interests in the Middle East and has opposed military escalation.

Xi also proposed expanding educational exchanges between the two countries.

He invited 100,000 young Americans to visit China over the next five years for study and exchange programs.

The proposal was presented as part of a broader effort to strengthen connections between the American and Chinese peoples.

Such exchanges could provide a softer channel of communication at a time when official relations remain highly compeтιтive.

Xi has repeatedly argued that the United States and China should develop mutual understanding even when their governments disagree on major strategic questions.