Trump to get tough on China in first security strategy speech
DONALD TRUMP is to take a tougher stance with China as he lays out a new national security strategy today.
The US president will identify China as an economic competitor, according to senior administration officials, while some reports have said he could label the country as a threat.
The strategy, which as of Saturday was still being drafted, may also remove Barack Obama’s declaration that climate change is a threat to security.
Mr Trump made US economic competitiveness with China a key campaign issue. The administration has also made it a focus. At the same time, it has been trying to work alongside Xi Jinping, the president of China, to denuclearise North Korea.
The strategy, to be introduced in a speech by Mr Trump, should not be seen as an attempt to contain China but rather to offer a clear-eyed look at the challenges China posed, unnamed officials told Reuters, the news agency.
But others went further, saying the US leader, frustrated at Mr Xi’s failure to address his trade concerns, will directly accuse the country of engaging in “economic aggression”.
“The [strategy] is likely to define China as a competitor in every realm. Not just a competitor, but a threat, and therefore, in the view of many in this administration, an adversary,” an official told the Financial Times.
Publicly singling out China may also be a way of pressurising the country to do more to help stabilise the threat from North Korea.
During his presidential campaign, Mr Trump attacked China over its “unfair” trade practices, which he said destroyed America’s competitiveness.
Relations appeared to warm after cordial meetings between the two presidents last month in China and eight months ago at Mar-a-lago, Florida. However, today’s address will emphasise Mr Trump’s commitment to “America First” policies.