Trump reportedly considers forming a ‘C5’ forum with US, China, Russia, India, and Japan, sidelining G7 and Europe-centric alliances.
US President Donald Trump is reportedly considering the establishment of a new elite ‘C5′, or ‘Core Five’, forum comprising leading global powers. This initiative would include the United States, Russia, China, India, and Japan, effectively sidelining the currently dominant Europe-centric G7 and other traditional alliances based on democracy and economic strength.
Although no official statement has been issued thus far, the American publication Politico reported that the concept for the new hard-power coalition originated in an extended, unpublished draft of the National Security Strategy, which the White House released last week.
The publication stated that it was unable to verify the existence of the extended plan; however, it was reported by Defense One.
The intention is reportedly to establish a new coalition of significant powers, unencumbered by the G7’s prerequisites that nations must be both affluent and democratically governed.
The strategy outlines a ‘Core Five,’ or C5, comprising the United States, China, Russia, India, and Japan—several nations with populations exceeding 100 million. It would convene routinely, akin to the G7, at summits focused on particular issues. The report stated that the initial item on the proposed C5 agenda is security in the Middle East, specifically the normalization of relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
A “Trumpian Concept”?
According to Politico, the White House has refuted the existence of this document, with press secretary Hannah Kelly asserting that “no alternative, private, or classified version” of the 33-page official plan is available.
However, national security specialists consider the concept to have a distinctly “Trumpian” character, and establishing the C5 may be suitable for the present White House.
This aligns with our understanding of President Trump’s worldview, which is non-ideological, characterized by an affinity for dominant actors, and a propensity to collaborate with other major powers that uphold regional spheres of influence, according to Torrey Taussig, who served as Director for European Affairs on the U.S. National Security Council during the Biden administration.
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She observed that Europe is absent from the theoretical C5, which likely leads Europeans to believe that this administration regards Russia as a major power capable of asserting its sphere of influence within Europe.
Michael Sobolik, an advisor to U.S. Republican Senator Ted Cruz during the initial Trump administration, observed that the establishment of C5 would represent a shift from President Trump’s China policy in his first term.
The initial Trump administration embraced the concept of great power competition, and this framework shaped our approach and discourse regarding relations with China… This represents a significant departure from that, he stated.
Concerns of Allies
The report arrives at a moment when Washington is already engaged in discussions regarding the extent to which the second Trump administration plans to alter the global order. The concept portrays extant forums such as the G7 and G20 as insufficient for a multipolar world, emphasizing negotiations among the principal population and military-economic powers.
US allies perceive the action as a legitimization of “strongmen” by elevating Russia above Europe, potentially undermining Western unity and NATO solidarity.