Pentagon Strategy Shifts Focus, Raises Stakes for Canada-China Ties

WASHINGTON (Azat TV) – The Pentagon late Friday released a new National Defense Strategy (NDS) that fundamentally reorients U.S. defense priorities, demanding allies assume greater responsibility for their own security while shifting focus from countering China globally to asserting dominance in the Western Hemisphere. This strategic pivot has immediately ignited friction with traditional partners, notably Canada, amidst President Donald Trump’s sharp criticism of Ottawa’s deepening trade ties with Beijing and its opposition to U.S. defense deployments in the Arctic.

‘America First’ Redefines Allied Responsibilities

The 34-page document, the first of its kind since 2022, is notably political in tone, directly criticizing European and Asian partners for their historical reliance on U.S. defense subsidies. It calls for a ‘sharp shift — in approach, focus, and tone,’ explicitly stating that allies must take on a larger share of the burden in countering threats ranging from Russia to North Korea. The strategy firmly embeds President Trump’s ‘America First’ philosophy, which prioritizes U.S. interests, questions long-standing strategic relationships, and favors a noninterventionist stance overseas.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s department underscored its commitment to providing ‘credible options to guarantee U.S. military and commercial access to key terrain,’ specifically naming Greenland and the Panama Canal. This emphasis follows a week of heightened tensions between the Trump administration and its allies, including threats of tariffs against European partners and a recent disagreement with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

Canada-China Ties and Arctic Tensions Under Scrutiny

The new NDS explicitly addresses U.S. relations with its neighbors, stating, ‘We will engage in good faith with our neighbors, from Canada to our partners in Central and South America, but we will ensure that they respect and do their part to defend our shared interests. And where they do not, we will stand ready to take focused, decisive action that concretely advances U.S. interests.’ This warning comes after President Trump earlier this week accused Canada of prioritizing trade relations with China over cooperation with Washington, asserting that China could eventually ‘swallow’ Canada.

Trump’s comments followed a recent trade agreement between Canada and China, signed during Prime Minister Carney’s visit to Beijing, which reduced tariffs on select goods. The U.S. President claimed this deal would allow China to expand its influence in Canada. Furthermore, Trump criticized Ottawa for opposing the proposed deployment of the ‘Golden Dome’ air defense system in Greenland, arguing that such a deployment would ‘naturally’ extend security benefits to Canada. ‘Canada gets a lot from us for free,’ Trump stated, adding, ‘They should be grateful.’ Prime Minister Carney, however, rejected these assertions, affirming that ‘Canada does not exist because of the US’ and that its success stems from its own identity.

Strategic Focus on Western Hemisphere and China’s Redefined Role

The strategy’s emphasis on the Western Hemisphere is evident in its specific mention of access to the Panama Canal and Greenland. Just days prior to the NDS release, President Trump announced a ‘framework of a future deal’ on Arctic security with NATO leader Mark Rutte, which he claimed would offer the U.S. ‘total access’ to Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark. Danish officials, speaking anonymously due to ongoing sensitive negotiations, confirmed that formal discussions had not yet commenced. Trump has also previously suggested the U.S. might consider retaking control of the Panama Canal, accusing Panama of ceding influence to China, a claim he did not explicitly deny this week when questioned.

Regarding China, the new policy document marks a significant departure from the Biden administration’s 2022 strategy, which identified China as America’s ‘pacing challenge.’ The Trump administration’s NDS now views China as a ‘settled force in the Indo-Pacific region that only needs to be deterred from dominating the U.S. or its allies.’ The document explicitly states that the goal ‘is not to dominate China; nor is it to strangle or humiliate them,’ adding that this approach ‘does not require regime change or some other existential struggle.’ It expresses President Trump’s desire for ‘a stable peace, fair trade, and respectful relations with China’ and promises to ‘open a wider range of military-to-military communications’ with China’s army. Notably, the strategy makes no mention of or guarantee to Taiwan, a self-governing island that Beijing claims as its own, contrasting sharply with the Biden administration’s pledge to ‘support Taiwan’s asymmetric self-defense.’

Broader Implications for Global Alliances

Beyond Canada and China, the NDS outlines similar expectations for other U.S. allies. It states that ‘South Korea is capable of taking primary responsibility for deterring North Korea with critical but more limited U.S. support.’ Similarly, while acknowledging Russia as a ‘persistent but manageable threat to NATO’s eastern members,’ the strategy asserts that NATO allies are ‘strongly positioned to take primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense.’ The document indicates that the Pentagon will recalibrate U.S. force posture in Europe to prioritize domestic interests, a move that has already seen the U.S. reduce troop presence on NATO’s borders with Ukraine, raising concerns among allies about potential security vacuums.

The Trump administration’s latest National Defense Strategy signals a profound recalibration of U.S. global engagement, prioritizing a focused regional dominance and a revised, less confrontational stance towards China, while simultaneously demanding an unprecedented level of self-sufficiency from its traditional allies. This shift underscores a fundamental tension between the ‘America First’ doctrine and the established frameworks of collective security, compelling allies like Canada to navigate complex geopolitical choices under renewed pressure.