From the Liveblog of
Monday, December 18, 2017
Trump slams China, Russia in ‘America First’ security strategy
President Donald Trump’s first National Security Strategy pillories China and Russia as “revisionist powers” bent on rolling back American interests, according to the hard-hitting text released Monday.
The document — designed to serve as a framework for the Trump administration’s approach to the world — uses remarkably biting language to frame Beijing and Moscow as global competitors.
“China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity,” the document states — a sharp break from Trump’s friendly approach to Presidents Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin.
Accusing China of seeking “to displace the United States” in Asia, the strategy is a litany of US grievances, from the Chinese stealing data to spreading “features of its authoritarian system.”
“Contrary to our hopes, China expanded its power at the expense of the sovereignty of others,” it says.
Russian nuclear weapons are deemed “the most significant existential threat to the United States,” and the Kremlin is described as a power that “seeks to restore its great power status and establish spheres of influence near its borders.”
“Russia aims to weaken US influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners,” it warns.
The Times of Israel Community.