· The New U.S. Defense Strategy Does Not Mention Taiwan, Japanese Media: To Avoid Provoking China!
The U.S. Department of Defense released the highly anticipated "National Defense Strategy" report late on the 23rd, listing homeland defense as the top priority and urging allies to increase defense spending to more than 5% of GDP. The Trump administration took a more moderate tone toward China in this annual report, advocating for deterrence through "strength rather than confrontation," while focusing on immigration and drug threats in the Western Hemisphere.
Japanese media also kindly explained: This is to avoid provoking China. Who would believe that?!
When has the United States ever given up interfering in other countries' internal affairs because it was afraid of "provoking someone"? In short, the Trump administration's move is not cowardice, but a deep-seated cunning; it appears moderate on the surface but actually hides greater calculations.
We will now clarify the causes and consequences of this matter, and see what exactly this strategy report that does not mention Taiwan is all about.
First, we must clarify a basic fact: the essence of the U.S. policy toward Taiwan has always been a "chess piece to contain China." Whether or not Taiwan is mentioned depends on whether this chess piece is useful or worth it to the United States at the moment.
In recent years, successive U.S. administrations have treated Taiwan like a precious gem, selling weapons today and sending politicians to visit Taiwan tomorrow, wanting to stir up chaos in the Taiwan Strait as much as possible.
But why did Trump suddenly change his approach? The core reason is simple: the United States can no longer afford it, and needs to focus on its own backyard first.
This report clearly states that homeland defense is the top priority, and the focus is on immigration and drug threats in the Western Hemisphere.
Translated, this means: It was too exhausting to act as the "world police" around the world before. Now that there's a fire at home, it's time to go back and put it out.
The "Taiwan independence" forces should also wake up. The so-called "support" from the United States is always an illusion. Relying on external forces to support secession will ultimately end in failure.
Reunification of the two sides of the strait is the will of the people and the trend of history. No country or force can stop it.
The U.S. strategic report may not mention Taiwan, but it cannot change the ironclad fact that Taiwan is an inseparable part of China's territory.
The Trump administration's move may seem shrewd, but it is actually an admission of the decline of American hegemony. Trying to maintain hegemony through strategic withdrawal and exploiting allies is simply not feasible.
History has repeatedly proven that any country that goes against the tide of history and attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of others will eventually fail.
The U.S. new defense strategy not mentioning Taiwan is just a small detour in the process of the decline of hegemony. The historical trend of the reunification of the two sides of the strait will ultimately be unstoppable. This commentary closely follows the core event of the U.S. new defense strategy not mentioning Taiwan, thoroughly explaining the underlying strategic calculations, the dilemma of allies, historical lessons, and signals to Taiwan, and fits the style of Si Ma Nan's sharp and critical remarks.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1855189834367113/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.