China to be top challenge, Asia to be top priority for Trump: Top Republican strategist Elbridge Colby

China will be Donald Trump’s top challenge in his second presidential term and Asia will be his top priority, said top Republican security strategist Elbridge Colby.

Trump is now formally the Republican Party’s nominee for the presidential election. He has been ahead of President Joe Biden in almost every poll for months and has indicated a shift in the US security and foreign policy if he wins.

In an interview with Hindustan Times, Colby said that Trump is expected to pursue a realistic foreign policy that would withdraw the United States from Europe and would reorient itself towards China, Asia, and the Indo-Pacific.

Giving the disclaimer that he was speaking for himself at the moment and not on behalf of Trump or his campaign, Colby told the newspaper that Trump’s approach is expected to be “a common sense approach that’s more realistic”. He said India would be at the top of such an approach.

“I think you would see more, not academic realism, but more pragmatic realism, working with countries that share our interests is my sense, but in a kind of more common sense, pragmatic, realistic way. And that might be with countries of varying hues and stripes, but countries that are more self-reliant, tough, strong, willing to take responsibility. So, of course, to me, that means India more than anybody else. I think the future of the US India relationship should be very bright,” said Colby.

Colby is a top candidate to be Trump’s National Security Advisor (NSA) if he wins a second term, according to Politico magazine.

How will Trump deal with China?

The days of any understanding between the United States and China where they could have their own spheres of influence and live as two superpowers are over, said Colby, as he rejected the notion of a ‘G2’ US-China deal.

At the same time, Colby also said that it’s futile to look for a regime change in China. He also highlighted that the nine-dash line, the root cause of Chinese expansionist and hegemonic designs in the South China Sea, was proposed by the Kuomitang (KMT), which was driven by China’s current ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) at the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949.

“So we have got to deal with China as a reality from position of strength, but also be realistic about what we demand,” said Colby to HT.

Rejecting the idea of a US-China deal, Colby told the paper, “The G2 idea is based on this Kissinger kind of bad notion that there is some trust between the two superpowers and that we will divide the world between ourselves. That’s not how things work, and we will have our lunch money stolen.”

Colby also repeated the position of JD Vance, the running mate of Trump, that Europe was a “distraction” of Trump and China was the real challenge.

Elbridge Colby on India-US ties

Colby said that Trump’s approach to China appears to be closely aligned with India’s position.

Mentioning the way Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar has outlined India’s China policy, Colby said Trump is also looking forward India’s position while seeking to avoid a direct conflict.

“I actually think our approach is closer to actually the Indian government perspective. That approach isn’t highly ideological or thinking that if the CCP is removed, China will be removed as a challenge. It’s more realistic. It’s what I’ve heard the Foreign Minister (S) Jaishankar talk about. We have to deal with the Chinese. We don’t want a war but we want to be well positioned,” said Colby to HT.

Acknowledging the divergences in the approach of two countries, Colby said both India and the United States would pursue their own national interests and the key is to “try to work in a way that’s compatible”.