US security strategy confirms Trump's toughness on China

IT is no secret that China and the United States compete around the world - although, in certain areas, they cooperate. The newly released National Security Strategy of the United States, unveiling the Trump administration's thoughts of national security, focuses primarily on China as its top competitor.

Although North Korea has grabbed headlines in recent months for its attempt to become a nuclear power with ballistic missiles that can deliver death-dealing warheads to North America, the national security document puts the threat from Pyongyang at a lower level than that posed by Beijing and Moscow.

According to the Trump administration, China and Russia "challenge American power, influence and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity". Those two countries "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".