Opinions differ widely over the intentions and implications of the latest
US national security strategy issued by the White House. The document covers America’s global strategy and with respect to China, there is much less dispute. It’s certainly welcome that the report has watered down America’s antagonism towards China, recasting the relationship more in terms of economics than geopolitics. The language is far less hostile than in reports issued under the Biden administration and the first Trump presidency. The two superpowers can greatly benefit each other and the world with less confrontation and more cooperation.
The document says the United States seeks to “rebalance” bilateral relations by “prioritising reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence”. That kind of language almost resembles that of Beijing. Longer term, both nations could benefit strategically as the US restores some lost manufacturing capacities while China develops a more consumption-driven economy.
Over Taiwan, though,
little has changed. The US strategy emphasises the importance of Taiwan’s leading semiconductor industry to global supply and its role as a defensive hub in the so-called
second island chain. It also says it does not support any unilateral change to the status quo.
The plan calls on America’s Asian allies to step up by increasing defence spending and readiness. That could be read as a call to arms – or a growing reluctance to commit heavy US military resources and assets to the region. The security document, after all, emphasises “America first” policies and the importance of US dominance in the
Western hemisphere much closer to home.
Interestingly, the report is scathing on Europe and its problems of insufficient military spending and economic decline. While America is “sentimentally attached to the European continent”, the Trump administration nevertheless claims it is facing “civilizational erasure”, as the European Union and other transnational bodies “undermine political liberty and sovereignty” with migration policies “creating strife, censorship of free speech and suppression of political opposition”. Whether true or not, these charges show how estranged the EU is from its most powerful ally. That may lead to a Europe less hostile to China, as reflected in recent visits by French President
Emmanuel Macron and German Foreign Minister
Johann Wadephul.
Of course, US foreign policy under Trump has been highly erratic. He is eager for a grand trade deal with China, and there were reports that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent demanded the sections on China be toned down. No one should be under any illusions about a friendlier US, but the new strategy offers a halt to mutual hostilities.
