The WSJ pointed to the softening of US rhetoric towards China in the new defense strategy

In the new national defense strategy, the United States announced a more restrained approach to China, focusing on de-escalation and achieving strategic stability in the Indo-Pacific region. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal on January 23.

The Pentagon document says that the key goal is "to establish strategic stability and reduce tensions in relations with the Chinese armed forces."

The strategy was published against the background of preparations for a possible April meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping and the White House's desire to reduce the risks of confrontation around Taiwan, the article explains.

The document emphasizes that the priority for the United States remains the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific region, while in Europe, the Korean Peninsula and the Middle East, Washington counts on the greater responsibility of its allies.

"While American forces are focused on the defense of the country and the Indo-Pacific region, our allies and partners in other regions will assume primary responsibility for their own defense," the strategy says.

Unlike the 2018 strategy, where China was called a "revisionist power," the new document captures the US interest in expanding communication channels between the two countries' military departments to prevent unintended incidents. At the same time, the Pentagon intends to strengthen defensive capabilities along the so-called First Island Chain, which includes Japan, the Philippines and Taiwan, which is not explicitly mentioned in the text.

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How will Beijing respond to them and what will happen to the global and Russian economies?

On January 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, following the results of Russian diplomacy in 2025, noted that China had outplayed the West in trade, economy and investment according to its own rules. China's high economic and financial performance "speaks for itself." He also stressed that the West is trying to slow down China's growth through tariffs and sanctions.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.