WMAL Interview - STEVEN MOSHER - 12.19.17

INTERVIEW - STEVEN MOSHER - an internationally recognized authority on China and author of upcoming book, “Bully of Asia: Why China’s Dream is the New Threat to World Order” – discussed President Trump's national security plan. • Trump’s National Security Strategy marks a hawkish turn on China. (Washington Post) -- Although you wouldn’t know it from his speech, President Trump’s first ever National Security Strategy (NSS) places the United States in a new posture vis-à-vis China, a much harder line that reflects the hawkish trend inside his administration. • Trump doctrine: Economic security is national security. The strategy emphasizes that U.S. economic security is national security. In his remarks, Trump called for “firm action against unfair trade practices and intellectual property theft.” The strategy also details the threats of “rogue regimes,” like North Korea. It says that China and Russia “challenge American power, influence, and interests, attempting to erode American security and prosperity.” • CHINA UNDER PRESSURE OVER NoKo: It was the kind of sitdown that China had long resisted: Top US officials telling Chinese counterparts how American troops would enter North Korea if the hermit regime collapsed. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's recent revelation that such a discussion took place would -- if true -- suggest a major shift in Chinese policy as Beijing comes under pressure to rein in its Korean War ally.