Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Government officials in Russia and China reacted critically to President Donald Trump's national security strategy, which lists threats from both countries in addition to Iran and North Korea.
The strategy, unveiled Monday, puts "America first" in what the president called "an extraordinarily dangerous world."
A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, told reporters on Tuesday the Kremlin could not agree with Trump's statement that Russia is a threat to U.S. security -- and that his remarks struck Moscow as "imperial" and showed "an aversion to a multi-polar world."
The Chinese government also was critical of Trump's vision -- especially the president labeling Beijing a strategic rival, reflecting a "victory of hardliners" in the administration.
The Xinhua News Agency wrote that Trump's stance "probably means Chinese-U.S. economic and trade relations will face even more pressure and challenges."
Iran and North Korea have long been criticized by Trump but the document notes Russia and China "want to shape a world antithetical to U.S. values and interests."
According to the policy, Russia is "using information tools in an attempt to undermine the legitimacy of democracies ... The American public and private sectors must recognize the threat and work together to defend our way of life."
The administration's policy describes problems with China, saying it "is building the most capable and well-funded military in the world, after our own," including a "diversifying" nuclear arsenal.
