Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump’s administration released the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance” document detailing its national defense plans, the Washington Post reported. The document outlined how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama Canal. It also said that stopping a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan must be prioritized, requiring US military deployments to be reassessed with a greater focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Although still in draft form, the document signals a significant shift in the Pentagon’s priorities compared with the 2022 National Defense Strategy. It also aligns closely with Trump’s objectives, including a sharp focus on China.
To the public, Trump might seem like an old-school imperialist bent on disrupting the international order with his claims to want to “take over” foreign territory such as the Panama Canal, Greenland and Canada. However, his words were anything but a madman’s rhetoric — they were based on careful calculation and planning.
Greenland has been geopolitically important to the US and NATO allies since the Cold War. The shortest route for Russian missiles targeting the US is over the arctic and Greenland. As a result, Greenland serves as a crucial line of defense against missile threats and submarine activities in the arctic region.
On the issue of the Panama Canal, Trump wrote that “wonderful soldiers of China” were “lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.” One of the reasons for this statement was that Panama’s two biggest ports, Cristobal and Balboa — at either end of the canal — have been operated by a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based CK Hutchison Holdings since 1997. Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong-based companies means it could restrict US naval and commercial ship access in the event of a conflict.
With China stepping up its influence around the globe, it is evident that Trump is fully aware of the dangers that its strategic deployments pose and that he intends to cut off the tentacles of Chinese expansionism. While his “mad” claims have been ratcheting up global tensions, his actions have the goal of deterring Beijing and gaining greater strategic leverage over the semiconductor industry.
On the issue of the Russia-Ukraine war, as the US shifts its focus to defense of the US homeland and the China challenge, Trump would reduce US forces in Europe by having NATO members and European countries shoulder a greater share of their defense burden. Washington is offloading security responsibilities onto its allies to focus on the more pressing issue of China.
In response to the White House document, China launched military drills around Taiwan to deter “Taiwanese independence” forces. With the US tightening the screws, Beijing finds itself running out of allies and has resorted to using Taiwan as its only bargaining chip.
Taiwan is caught between two superpowers, but this painful predicament helps keep it secure. After all, both superpowers know how much is at stake and what launching a war would mean.
However, Taiwanese should not rejoice that the US is making Taiwan a priority, because it probably indicates that the US believes the possibility of an invasion has risen.
The government and the public should unite and bolster the nation’s defense capabilities. With the US and other allies around the world pushing back against communist forces, Taiwanese should stand alongside the democratic front.
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