5 Oct 2026
Speaking after President Xi's state visit, Logan says many countries do not want to be forced to choose between Beijing and Washington
British China watcher - Mark Logan - has said that renewed engagement between China and the United States should be seen as an opportunity for Britain and Europe, speaking to China Daily following President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington.
Contributing to a feature on what steadier relations between the world's two largest economies could mean for Europe, Logan drew a clear distinction between competition and confrontation.
Competition, he argued, can be healthy – pushing countries and economies to innovate and to raise their game. Confrontation is another matter, and Logan said Beijing and Washington must take care to avoid the "Thucydides Trap", the historical pattern in which a rising power and an established power are drawn into conflict.
At the White House welcome ceremony, President Xi called on both sides to strengthen communication, cooperate sincerely and hold the line against conflict and confrontation.
He also announced that China would invite 100,000 young Americans to visit for exchanges and study over the next five years, alongside the arrival of two giant pandas at Zoo Atlanta.
Logan said Europe and the UK should pay close attention to these signs of greater engagement, and should pursue more cooperation with China themselves. The significance reaches well beyond Europe, he added, noting that many countries around the world have no wish to be forced into choosing between China and the United States.
Other contributors to the piece included Shada Islam of the Brussels-based New Horizons Project and Edouard Xia of UCLouvain, who also saw scope for a more stable and predictable relationship.
Full article can be accessed here: https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202609/28/WS6ab9d4b9e4b06d4aa0560838.html