Have you read Trump’s 29-page National Security Strategy (NSS) document dated November 2025? It’s a cross between the roar of a wounded tiger and the whimper of a tired eagle. It’s a voluntary abdication by the Emperor who wants to shrink and become a regional chieftain. It bemoans that America’s strategy went “astray” as the country took on others’ burdens. “We cannot afford to be equally attentive to every region and every problem in the world.”
America must engineer “A readjustment of our global military presence to address urgent threats in our (Western) Hemisphere … away from theatres whose relative import to American national security has declined. We want to ensure that the Western Hemisphere remains reasonably stable and well-governed enough to prevent and discourage mass migration to the United States; we want a Hemisphere whose governments cooperate with us against narco-terrorists, cartels, and other criminal organisations.”
This is repeatedly emphasised as the Foremost Priority and Objective Number One of Trump’s global doctrine - we care only for the Western Hemisphere; go look after yourself elsewhere. We will help but cannot lead or out-spend native stakeholders.
What Does America Want IN and FROM the World?
In a seminal framework segment — What Do We Want In and From the World — Trump underlines his indifference towards China and India by simply omitting any direct reference to them. His beloved Western Hemisphere grabs the top half; Europe and the Middle East are at least named, even if in a condescending context. He wants to “restore Europe’s civilisational self-confidence and Western identity.”And he wants to remain the hegemon by preventing “an adversarial power from dominating the Middle East.”
China, and perhaps even Japan/India/Australia, get a tangential and un-named/anonymous rap on the knuckles by the desire to “keep the Indo-Pacific free and open.” That’s it! The mighty powers of the Eastern Hemisphere are given a takhliya (summary dismissal) by the Moghul of the Taj Mahal Casino.
In fact, India is the needle in the haystack. We make our first appearance, buried deep on Page 21. “We must continue commercial (and other) relations with India to encourage New Delhi to contribute to Indo-Pacific security.” And again, India is enlisted, along with European allies “to cement and improve our joint positions in the Western Hemisphere and, with regard to critical minerals, in Africa.”
India is last mentioned as a potentially “suffering” nation in the South China sea. With this briefest of references, India exits Trump’s new global policy.
Is China a “Near-Peer”, Or is Trump Nervous?
I guess China is too powerful to ignore, even for Trump. After being inconspicuous for more than half the document, China emerges strongly in the segment on Asia.
“China got rich and powerful … the Indo-Pacific is the source of almost half the world’s GDP based on purchasing power parity (PPP).” After damning his allies in copious paras, a nervous Trump now does an about turn — “the United States must work with our treaty allies and partners — who together add another $35 trillion in economic power to our own $30 trillion national economy — to counteract predatory economic policies and use our combined economic power to help safeguard our prime position in the world economy.”
I am tempted to ask — Why President Trump did you berate and diss your partners for the better part of this document, if you had, in the end, to beseech them to “safeguard” America’s prime position? Because, I guess, his fear of China is palpable – as he asserts, the relationship with “one of the world’s poorest countries has transformed into one between near-peers (emphasis is mine).”
This is where the document cracks and becomes a National “In”Security Strategy. By labelling China a “near-peer”, has Trump betrayed a premature paranoia? Let’s do a head-to-head comparison between the two titans – not on fuzzy estimates like GDP – but hard, modern, real economic variables that will ensure success in the 21st Century.
AI Investments and Data Centres: America has a commanding lead, with nearly 5500 data centres and half a trillion dollars of investments in AI, vs 450 data centres and $ 115 bn of investments by China. I concede that China is making rapid strides, but why should America fear its own slowdown?
Global Semiconductor Companies: America has six out of the top 10; the other four come from South Korea, Taiwan, and Netherlands, all erstwhile partners of America. Why President Trump are you spurning allies that can consolidate your unbeatable lead over China?
Global Equity Markets: America’s NYSE and Nasdaq are $70 trillion behemoths. Add EU’s $15 trillion, Canada’s $4 trillion, UK’s $3.5 trillion, Japan’s $7.5 trillion, India’s $5 trillion, and you get an astonishing $100 trillion plus of market capitalisation in America’s former bailiwick. Against this, China’s mainland exchanges are at $ 12 trillion, plus Hongkong is another $7 trillion. So again, why President Trump are you shrugging away such a lethal advantage?
Global Finance: Eight of the top 10 Asset Managers are American. The other two are French and Swiss. China is missing in action here. Among Pension Funds, three are American, six belong to their historical buddies, and only one is Chinese. Among sovereign wealth funds, only two are Chinese, while the other eight were once in America’s corner. Why President Trump have you ignored this massive leverage enjoyed by you and your former allies?
Global Trade: Of course, China is top dog here, with exports of $4 trillion and imports of $3 trillion; but America is a dogged number two, exporting $2 trillion and importing $4 trillion. Other American allies export and import over $8 trillion each, creating a large global footprint. Where China totally outpoints America is in large ports, having created 7 out of the ten biggest ones. America is missing in action here, but is that such a crippling disadvantage?
Globally Large Companies: Based on market cap, America has eight out of the top 10; the other two belong to allies Taiwan and Saudi Arabia. When ranked by revenues, six of the top 10 are American, one is Saudi Arabian, and only three are Chinese.
Clearly, the above data points prove that America and its erstwhile allies command a spectacular commercial and technological lead over China. Why then, President Trump, have you abandoned your faithful allies and succumbed to the notion that China is a “near-peer”?