DONALD Trump’s National Security Strategy of November 2025 can be summed up in a simple slogan: win the economic race and prevent a major war. Yet behind that simplicity lies a sweeping overhaul of America’s view of China, its alliances and its long-term political ambitions in Asia. Rather than adjusting policy, this strategy rewrites Washington’s playbook—and the effects will be felt most sharply in regions like South Asia, where the balance of power is already fragile.

The document’s core argument is that past US Administrations misread China. For decades, Washington believed that economic integration—trade access, investment and open markets—would liberalize Beijing and pull it into a rules-based system. Trump’s strategists claim the opposite occurred: China used globalization to build power, while the United States lost industries and leverage. This worldview sets the foundation for a much tougher Indo-Pacific strategy,........

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