An analysis of the Trump administration's second-term National Security Strategy report released on December 4, 2025, points out that it aligns more closely with "America First," emphasizes diplomatic achievements to alleviate domestic pressure, intends to break from the "liberal hegemony," shifts towards absolute hegemony in the Western Hemisphere, and faces numerous challenges.

I. Strategic Correction from "Globalist Deviation" to "America First"

The National Security Strategy report released on December 4, 2025, embodies the Trump administration's "America First" approach, arguing that previous U.S. strategies had fallen short of expectations and that the elite's pursuit of global dominance had exhausted national strength. Based on "Jacksonianism," the report emphasizes protecting the national community, prioritizing border security and cultural protection, rejecting the expenditure of national strength for abstract goals, and supporting the use of force when necessary. Unlike the 2017 report's "principled realism," the 2025 report shifts to "flexible realism," no longer upholding the liberal international order but pursuing a strategy based on racial-cultural identity and geo-economic exclusivity. The core objective is "Returning to the Western Hemisphere," involving adjustments to the global strategy, including policies towards China, perceptions of allies, and attitudes towards various regions. This shift is not abrupt but represents the core foreign policy philosophy of the Trump administration's governing team.

II. The Radical Revival of the Monroe Doctrine: The "Trump Corollary"

This section delves into the "Trump Corollary" proposed in the 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy report, which represents a radical revival of the Monroe Doctrine. Its core lies in the exclusivity of asset control, the conditionality of aid, and the securitization of borders. Regarding asset control, the U.S. has taken a series of measures to exclude Chinese infrastructure investment in Latin America, including imposing high tariffs on COSCO Shipping Holdings' Chancay Port in Peru and promoting a "single-source" procurement policy to ensure key infrastructure projects are awarded to U.S. companies. In terms of aid, the U.S. emphasizes conditionality, requiring recipient countries to align with U.S. interests in excluding non-hemispheric competitors and curbing migration, while prioritizing projects meeting U.S. standards through institutions like the International Development Finance Corporation. On border securitization, the U.S. elevates border security to a core national security concern, adopting tough measures, including military intervention, to address immigration issues and strengthening legal actions against Mexican drug cartels. Additionally, the U.S. proposed a "Draft and Expand" strategy aimed at enhancing economic and political control over Western Hemisphere countries by establishing proxy systems and applying pressure to achieve its strategic objectives.

III. The Logic Reconstruction of U.S. Strategic Competition with China

The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy report reflects a reconstruction of the logic of strategic competition with China. Unlike the 2017 report, which labeled China as a "revisionist power," the 2025 report avoids polarizing rhetoric, constructing a framework of "competing while managing risks." The U.S. has updated its strategic means against China, forming a combination centered on economic rebalancing as the core deterrent and a "Denial Strategy" as the military cornerstone. Economic rebalancing is the core of the U.S.'s new China strategy. The Trump administration aims to reduce dependency on China through radical tariff barriers and forced supply chain reshoring. Tariff policy became a focal point, such as Executive Order 14195 signed on February 1, 2025, imposing additional tariffs, which triggered a Sino-U.S. tariff war, culminating in a temporary agreement in Geneva. The U.S. also seeks to enhance its advantage over China in high-tech fields, continuing the "small yard, high fence" strategy, such as new Treasury Department rules on January 2, 2025, prohibiting investments in specific Chinese sectors. In trade, the U.S. aims to reduce supply chain reliance on China and promote "reindustrialization," exemplified by signing the "Big and Beautiful Act" on July 4, 2025. Geopolitically, the Trump administration adopted a more restrained and cautious approach towards China, implementing a "Denial Strategy," acknowledging Chinese military power, shifting to "denial-based deterrence," and demanding allies bear conventional defense responsibilities. An example is approving the first arms sale to Taiwan on November 13, 2025, which focused on non-standard spare parts and maintenance services for existing equipment.

IV. The Instrumentalization of the Alliance System and Ideological Shift: The Case of Europe

The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy report marks a significant shift in U.S. foreign strategy, particularly regarding the alliance system and ideology. The report ends the traditional values-based alliance system, emphasizing transactional relationships and demanding allies' complete financial and geopolitical compliance. Regarding Europe, the U.S. demands that Europe assume more defense responsibilities and, for the first time, uses the "Great Replacement theory" to interfere in European internal affairs, attempting to shape a Europe aligned with Republican conservative ideology. NATO's "Hague Commitment" reform is a typical example of alliance instrumentalization. Trump pressured allies to increase defense spending by threatening to suspend NATO protection, creating fractures within the alliance. Simultaneously, the report reflects an ideological contest between the U.S. and Europe over the definition of "Western civilization." The U.S. views immigration and low birth rates as threats to European civilization and takes actions to interfere in European domestic politics, supporting right-wing populist parties. Furthermore, the U.S. attitude towards the Russia-Ukraine conflict has changed, prioritizing rebuilding strategic stability with Russia and using Ukraine as a bargaining chip in U.S.-Russia dealings, which fundamentally differs from the EU's strategic assessment.

V. Conclusion

This section points out that the Trump administration's second-term National Security Strategy report signifies the U.S. shift from the post-Cold War "liberal hegemony" to the "America First" realist path, focusing on four adjustments: deeply binding domestic political demands and ideology with foreign strategy; reconstructing the Monroe Doctrine to seek exclusive hegemony and supply chain control in the Western Hemisphere; reshaping the logic of competition with China; and instrumentalizing the traditional alliance system. This strategic adjustment faces numerous constraints and erodes U.S. international credibility but has already shown a clear direction. It constitutes the future core axis of U.S. foreign policy regarding the Western Hemisphere, China, and ideological confrontation, reshaping the global geopolitical landscape and presenting new challenges for China. China needs to recognize its essence, respond precisely, grasp its weaknesses, deepen its own development resilience, expand cooperation space, persist in constructive interaction, promote strategic evolution with the times, and inject stability and positive energy into global governance reform.