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President Donald Trump unveiled a new national security blueprint in which he declares “the era of mass migration is over” and paints China as a central threat to the U.S.
In the 33-page document released Friday morning, the president sets the stage for a foreign policy overhaul.
“This document is a roadmap to ensure that America remains the greatest and most successful nation in human history, and the home of freedom on earth. In the years ahead, we will continue to develop every dimension of our national strength,” Trump’s letter at the top of the document reads.
In the section on mass migration, the document underscores the importance of who is let into the country, saying that those who are allowed into our borders will “inevitably define the future” of our nation. It points out that nations throughout history have prohibited unregulated migration and employed strict standards when determining who should be granted citizenship.
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“In countries throughout the world, mass migration has strained domestic resources, increased violence and other crime, weakened social cohesion, distorted labor markets, and undermined national security. The era of mass migration must end. Border security is the primary element of national security,” the document reads.
The blueprint emphasizes the dangers that come with uncontrolled migration, such as terrorism, drugs, espionage and human trafficking.
While the document frames border security as a key priority on the U.S.’s shores, it also identifies another threat from abroad, one that the administration asserts will be key in shaping the future of the U.S. and the world: China’s bid to dominate globally.
The blueprint highlights Trump’s work to reverse “more than three decades of mistaken American assumptions about China,” particularly the idea that by opening U.S. markets to China, Washington could ensure that Beijing would join “the so-called ‘rules-based international order.'” Rather than ensuring American influence over China, these policies enriched Beijing and allowed it to use its wealth and power “to its considerable advantage,” the document notes.
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U.S.-Chinese trade, according to the document, has been “fundamentally unbalanced” since 1979, when the Chinese economy reopened to the world. The blueprint states that the U.S.-China trade relationship started as one between a very wealthy country and an extremely poor one, but it has transformed into a relationship between “near-peers.”
Chinese exports enter the U.S. through several avenues, including proxy countries, the national security outline states. The U.S. imports goods made in “Chinese-built factories in a dozen countries, including Mexico,” according to the document.
“Going forward, we will rebalance America’s economic relationship with China, prioritizing reciprocity and fairness to restore American economic independence,” the document reads. It goes on to specify that this means balancing trade between the U.S. and China, as well as ensuring that it is “focused on non-sensitive factors.”
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The administration predicts in the outline that a mutually beneficial relationship with China could send the U.S. economy from its present $30 trillion to $40 trillion in the 2030s.
This strategic posture towards China also requires the involvement of U.S. allies. One idea put forward in the document is having the U.S. work with treaty allies who can add another $35 trillion in economic power to combat “predatory economic practices.”
The document also calls on the U.S. to “encourage Europe, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, Mexico and other prominent nations in adopting trade policies that help rebalance China’s economy toward household consumption, because Southeast Asia, Latin America and the Middle East cannot alone absorb China’s enormous excess capacity.”
Beyond economic policies, the document outlines the U.S. strategy when it comes to deterring military threats, specifically touching on the global importance of the South China Sea. While the blueprint states that deterring a conflict over Taiwan is a priority, it also clarifies that the U.S. is not changing its stance toward the country, which often faces threats from China.
“Preventing conflict requires a vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific, a renewed defense industrial base, greater military investment from ourselves and from allies and partners, and winning the economic and technological competition over the long term,” the document says.
The 33-page document outlines region-specific strategies as well as the overall goal of putting U.S. interest before those of other nations. It also encourages more careful involvement abroad, while acknowledging that total U.S. withdrawal from the world stage would not be possible.
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