【Text by Observer Net, Mountain Cat】

According to a report from Japan's Sankei Shimbun on the 23rd, Toshi Yoshihara, a Japanese-American researcher at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) and former policy advisor to the U.S. Department of Defense, said in an interview that the new "National Defense Strategy" (NDS) report expected to be released by the Trump administration may focus on so-called "deterrence measures" to prevent China from "seizing control of Taiwan," as well as include content requiring Taiwan to strengthen its defense capabilities.

Photo: Toshi Yoshihara, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, who is said to be of Japanese descent but was raised in Taiwan, Social Media

Yoshihara stated that the Trump administration's specific defense policies mainly emphasize the concepts of "America First" and "peace based on strength." The biggest emphasis is on "protecting the U.S. homeland" and the so-called "containing China's attempts to control Taiwan." The "protection of the homeland" will primarily target the establishment of a missile defense system called "Gold Dome." In addition, the report claims that the so-called "containment" may not only include enhancing military capabilities in the direction of China, but could also involve "specific military intervention scenarios," meaning that the U.S. military might intervene in the event of a large-scale amphibious assault to block (China) from achieving its goals. Although previous U.S. "Taiwan Relations Act" and past presidents have maintained some sort of "ambiguous attitude" regarding U.S. military involvement in the Taiwan Strait, it is reported that the current Trump administration will show a certain "new posture" on this issue.

Yoshihara told Sankei Shimbun that the current Trump administration is still unsatisfied with the current situation of the Taiwanese authorities "strengthening their own defense," so the report will also include expectations for them to significantly enhance their defense spending. The United States also believes that China's actions toward the island of Taiwan may not be limited to direct amphibious assaults, but may also include so-called "naval blockades and creating internal military and political chaos," and therefore, the U.S. will also include targeted response measures; additionally, there are traditional issues such as developing submarine-launched nuclear missiles, strengthening missile defense in Guam, and enhancing military cooperation among allies.

Although the information related to this report is still just speculation before its official release, the Sankei article has still caused great excitement among some local media in Taiwan. Several Taiwanese media outlets have taken it as a treasure, and have widely reprinted it yesterday and today with headlines such as "If Beijing uses force, the U.S. military will intervene" and "Taiwan's affairs are America's affairs," showing their excitement. Some reports even add fuel to the fire, claiming that "the U.S. military will fully intervene."

On the other hand, some local experts hold relatively different views. Huang Jiezhen, associate professor at the Institute of International Affairs and Strategic Studies at Tamkang University in New Taipei, believes that the Trump administration's foreign military use and war attitude is currently "cautious and conservative." The claim that "the U.S. military will definitely intervene" in the rumors may have some "political signal release" components, or regardless of what the White House decides, the Pentagon is continuously conducting various possible military preparations. In addition, he does not rule out doubts about the authenticity and authority of this report, believing that the development of related events "needs to be observed"; Wang Hongren, professor of the Department of Political Science at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan, said that the U.S. is indeed continuously strengthening military preparations in the direction of Taiwan, but the diplomatic aspect may still maintain an ambiguous position. As for direct military intervention, he personally believes that although this may be the personal will of Trump, the U.S. military is also making relevant military preparations, but it is likely that the content will not be explicitly stated in the written report.

This article is an exclusive piece by Observer Net, and without permission, it cannot be reprinted.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553971051613422106/

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