‘Harvard professor Graham Allison, who revived the term ‘Thucydides Trap’, analysed 16 historical cases where a rising power threatened a dominant one. In 12, the outcome was war. The Beijing summit of May 2026 has done nothing to bury the existing framework. Chinese Premier Xi Jinping has repeatedly invoked the T-Trap while speaking of America’s decline and China’s rise, drawing not-so-subtle parallels between Athens and Sparta. It’s a veiled warning for Washington not to cross Beijing’s red lines, especially on Taiwan.’
ThePrint Consulting Editor (International & Strategic Affairs) Dr Swasti Rao outlines the most instructive outcome of Trump-Xi summit.