While you were sleeping, it was Day One of President Donald Trump’s historic second high-stakes China summit. There were waving children (again) and bilateral talks, an American-influenced state dinner, speeches and tours and more speeches. Here are the highlights of what you missed.

Chinese President Xi Welcomes President Trump to China.https://t.co/s7sHMGXX7o pic.twitter.com/i0NGXxzksV— CSPAN (@cspan) May 14, 2026

Chinese President Xi Welcomes President Trump to China.https://t.co/s7sHMGXX7o pic.twitter.com/i0NGXxzksV

. With friends like these…

Throughout the day, Trump appeared to lavish praise onto President Xi, referring to the world leader as his “friend” on multiple occasions and calling him a “great leader.”

"It's an honor to be with you, it's an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before." - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/WZkoGeVqhv— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 14, 2026

"It's an honor to be with you, it's an honor to be your friend, and the relationship between China and the USA is going to be better than ever before." - President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/WZkoGeVqhv

"I want to thank President Xi, my friend, for this magnificent welcome." President Trump delivers remarks at state banquet in Beijing, China. https://t.co/UsXEBOlTDU pic.twitter.com/TRibeV5AAt— ABC News (@ABC) May 14, 2026

"I want to thank President Xi, my friend, for this magnificent welcome." President Trump delivers remarks at state banquet in Beijing, China. https://t.co/UsXEBOlTDU pic.twitter.com/TRibeV5AAt

By comparison, Xi seemingly did not return the compliment, but told Trump during a bilateral meeting that the U.S. and China should be “partners, not rivals.”

“We should be partners, not rivals," says Chinese President Xi Jinping to US President Donald Trump at a summit in Beijing.In his opening remarks, Trump touted his “fantastic relationship” with Xi, and said US business leaders were in the city to "pay respects" to Xi and China… pic.twitter.com/ui1DmGfXfK— Bloomberg (@business) May 14, 2026

“We should be partners, not rivals," says Chinese President Xi Jinping to US President Donald Trump at a summit in Beijing.In his opening remarks, Trump touted his “fantastic relationship” with Xi, and said US business leaders were in the city to "pay respects" to Xi and China… pic.twitter.com/ui1DmGfXfK

. It’s a Thucydides Trap!

Xi dropped some ancient politics in his speech to open this the talks on Thursday morning, per the New York Times:

In his remarks, Xi mentioned the ‘Thucydides Trap,’ a concept rooted in the ancient rivalry between Athens and Sparta and popularized by Harvard scholar Graham Allison. The theory suggests that an established power and a rising power are almost driven by history to clash. Xi and other Chinese officials have used the idea to argue that China and the United States must avoid that fate.“As the once-in-a-century transformation accelerates and the international landscape undergoes change and turmoil, the world has reached a new crossroads,” Xi said. “Can China and the United States overcome the ‘Thucydides Trap’ and establish a new paradigm for relations between great powers?”

In his remarks, Xi mentioned the ‘Thucydides Trap,’ a concept rooted in the ancient rivalry between Athens and Sparta and popularized by Harvard scholar Graham Allison. The theory suggests that an established power and a rising power are almost driven by history to clash. Xi and other Chinese officials have used the idea to argue that China and the United States must avoid that fate.

“As the once-in-a-century transformation accelerates and the........

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