Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon calls President Trump’s decision to label China a strategic “competitor” a rejection of “Gary Cohn and the West Wing globalist accommodation of the regime in Beijing.” It is in keeping, according to Bannon, with the sentiment of the American electorate, who, in voting for Trump in 2016, signified their “complete rejection of the American elites’ complicity in the nation’s decline.”
Demetri Sevastopulo reports in the Financial Times:
President Donald Trump will describe China as a strategic “competitor” on Monday when he releases a national security strategy that accuses Beijing of maintaining a “repressive vision” and pursuing policies of economic aggression aimed at weakening the US.
While the national security strategy outlines a range of threats, most of the criticism is reserved for China and Russia, which are described as “revisionist” powers that are trying to “shape a world antithetical to US values and interests”.
“China and Russia challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity,” the document warns.
The national security strategy, which is required by law, is viewed as a central blueprint for the US diplomatic and military leadership as they plan how to tackle global threats.
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“Donald Trump’s election in November 2016 stands as a complete rejection of the American elites’ complicity in the nation’s decline,” said Steve Bannon, the former White House chief strategist. “Now, President Trump has rejected Gary Cohn and the West Wing globalist accommodation of the regime in Beijing. Trump promised to get tough on China and with his strategic plan he is well on his way.”
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