President Donald Trump ’s first second-term visit to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping kicked off with a full day of discussions about how the two world superpowers will navigate an increasingly volatile global geopolitical landscape that has thrown trade and diplomatic relations into a state of upheaval. In Xi’s estimation, the biggest question facing the United States and China amounts to whether they can “transcend the ‘Thucydides Trap’” to “pioneer a new paradigm for major-country relations.” The Chinese leader was referring to a theory based in the writings of the Greek historian: That the growth and success of a rising power (in this case, China ) can appear threatening to an established ruling power (like the U.S.), setting two titans on a path toward war and destruction if such an outcome isn’t thoughtfully thwarted through diligent diplomacy.…