A Chinese Analysis of U.S. National Security Strategy

Jan. 28—A new study written by a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and published in Qiushi, the journal of the Communist Party of China, argues that recent adjustments to U.S. national security strategy represent a change in tactics by the U.S. rather than a departure from Washington’s pursuit of global hegemony.

The study analyzes the U.S. National Security Strategy released by the White House Dec. 4, 2025, and concludes that the United States is narrowing its strategic focus in response to what it sees as declining relative power and the costs of decades of global overextension. According to the author, the new strategy places priority on domestic revitalization, including reindustrialization, border security, energy independence, and economic nationalism, framing these goals as central components of national security.

The analysis highlights a shift toward what it describes as a “fortress” approach in the Western Hemisphere, marked by renewed emphasis on U.S. dominance in Latin America and resistance to the involvement of external powers, such as China, in the region. At the same time, U.S. engagement in Europe, the Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa is portrayed as more selective, focused on economic competition, security deterrence, and narrowly defined national interests rather than broad ideological leadership.

Despite these changes, the study argues that the core objective of maintaining U.S. hegemony, albeit more limited and mostly confined to the Western Hemisphere, remains unchanged. China is identified as the primary strategic competitor, with U.S. policy concentrating on economic, technological, and industrial competition, including supply-chain adjustments and efforts to reduce dependence on Chinese manufacturing and resources.

The author also contends that, while U.S. rhetoric preaches restraint, foreign intervention continues, although increasingly in a more targeted and cost-conscious manner. The study concludes that the revised U.S. strategy signals a move toward prolonged great-power competition and a higher risk of global instability rather than a shift toward cooperative international governance.