Beijing urges ‘strategic mutual trust’ with US ahead of Trump’s national security speech
With US president about to declare China and Russia ‘competitors’, observers say China is unlikely to make any sudden policy moves
Beijing issued a muted response to news that US President Donald Trump will name China as a competitor, calling for “strategic mutual trust”, and observers say it is unlikely to make any sudden policy changes that could add to disputes with Washington.
Excerpts of the US national security strategy released by the White House ahead of Trump’s speech said competition with China and Russia required Washington to rethink policies based on the assumption that engagement with rivals and including them in international institutions “would turn them into benign actors and trustworthy partners”.
“They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence,” according to excerpts of the strategy, which Trump is expected to deliver at 2am on Tuesday Hong Kong time.
A senior US administration official said Russia and China were attempting to revise the global status quo – Russia in Europe with its military incursions into Ukraine and Georgia, and China in Asia by its aggression in the South China Sea.
The national security posture reflects Trump’s “America First” priorities of protecting the US homeland and borders, rebuilding the US military, projecting strength abroad and pursuing trade policies more favourable to the United States.