Priority or leverage?

The US National Defence Strategy 2022, unveiled on October 27, lists plans to boost defence ties with India to deter Chinese aggression in the region

The latest US Defence Strategy states that China presents the most consequential and systemic challenge while Russia poses acute threats to vital US national interests abroad, and to the homeland.

“The world is changing. We’re at a significant inflection point in world history. And our country and the world — the United States of America has always been able to chart the future in times of great change. We’ve been able to constantly renew ourselves. And time and again, we’ve proven there’s not a single thing we cannot do as a nation when we do it together — and I mean that — not a single solitary thing.” President Biden stated in the introductory note to the strategy.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin highlighted the different challenges posed by China and Russia as he unveiled the strategy. According to him, the dangers are both conventional — Moscow’s aggression toward its neighbours and Beijing’s efforts to gain control of Taiwan — and nuclear, with Russia possessing an extensive arsenal and China’s stocks of atomic weapons growing fast. The strategy likewise places the primary emphasis on China.

It further asserts that Beijing is seeking to “refashion the Indo-Pacific region and the international system to suit its interests and authoritarian preferences” — describing this dynamic as “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security.”