Economic security has for too long been a neglected aspect of national security. Hence, the author would like to explain why this was the case, and to emphasize the existence of differences in the understanding of the category of national economic security, including mainly depending on the level of economic development. The main thesis of the article is: highly developed countries, dominating the world economy, apply double standards in their policy towards countries at a lower level, when in practice the category of economic security or strategic branches is interpreted. We cannot agree to the above facts in our economic policy. Therefore, it is necessary to significantly amend our national security policy towards specifying the list of strategic sectors / branches and establishing more effective institutions and tools to protect them against hostile takeovers posing a threat to national security.