---
title: "Trump’s security advisor pick sees China as ‘the greater threat’"
description: "President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor says the US should work to end conflicts in Europe and the Middle East so it can confront “the greater threat” from China, a signal relations between the superpowers could fray further in the coming years."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Bloomberg"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/bloomberg/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2024-11-12-trumps-security-advisor-pick-sees-china-as-the-greater-threat/"
published: "2024-11-12T05:35:23"
updated: "2024-11-12T05:35:24"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 250
---

# Trump’s security advisor pick sees China as ‘the greater threat’

> President-elect Donald Trump’s pick for national security advisor says the US should work to end conflicts in Europe and the Middle East so it can confront “the greater threat” from China, a signal relations between the superpowers could fray further in the coming years.

By Bloomberg · Published 12 November 2024, 07:35 SAST · Updated 12 November 2024, 07:35 SAST

## Key points
- As Trump gears up for a potential second act, his choice of Florida congressman Mike Waltz as national security advisor signals a return to the good old days of China-bashing and military posturing, with a side of "let's wrap up those pesky global conflicts first."
- Florida Congressman Mike Waltz labels China as the US's "greatest rival," urging a shift in focus from current conflicts to countering the Communist Party.
- Waltz has been appointed as a close aide to Trump, positioning him to coordinate foreign policy and brief the president on global crises.
- Expectations rise for heightened US-China tensions during Trump's potential second term, echoing the trade war and diplomatic spats of recent years.
- Waltz advocates for increased defense spending to strengthen US military capabilities against potential Chinese aggression, particularly regarding Taiwan.

## Content

China is the US’s “greatest rival”, Florida congressman Mike Waltz wrote days before the election in an Economist article that was co-authored with Matthew Kroenig, a former Pentagon strategist.

“The next president should act urgently to bring the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to a swift conclusion, and finally focus strategic attention where it should be: countering the greater threat from the Communist Party,” they wrote.

Trump has chosen the Florida Representative to be one of his closest aides, Bloomberg News reported earlier, citing a person familiar with the matter. The move would elevate the former Army Green Beret and combat veteran of Afghanistan to a role coordinating foreign policy in the West Wing and briefing the president on global crises.

Read More: [Trump Picks Combat Vet Waltz as National Security Advisor](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/trump-picks-afghanistan-vet-waltz-as-national-security-advisor)

The selection of Waltz adds to expectations that China and the US will again have a fraught relationship during Trump’s second term in office. The two sides fought a trade war starting in 2018, and tensions included episodes that saw the tit-for-tat closure of consulates.

In the Economist article, Waltz and Kroenig also wrote that “America is not building armed forces to deny a Chinese attack on Taiwan. It has cut defence spending in real terms, allowing the balance of power to shift in China’s favour.”

“A new administration should increase defence spending and revitalise the defence-industrial base to make sure its armed forces are clearly capable of denying a Chinese attack on Taiwan,” they wrote.