Chinese Views on the U.S. National Security and National Defense Strategies

In December 2017 and January 2018, the executive branch of the United States Government published two important documents that purport to describe the main features and rationale for America’s overall security stance toward the world: the National Security Strategy (NSS) and the Summary of the National Defense Strategy (NDS), respectively.1 The former is designed to provide the basis for developing a common view across the government of the United States’ strategic environment and key global interests, goals, and objectives essential to its security. The latter, derived from the NSS, is intended to focus on: defining and prioritizing the specific threats confronting the United States; delineating a national military strategy intended to meet those threats; and providing a description of the specific goals, concepts, and resources necessary for the successful implementation of that strategy