The latest US national security strategy document mentions Taiwan eight times and criticizes Europe for "the demise of civilization."

(Deutsche Welle) The Trump administration’s National Security Strategy document, released on Friday, outlines its strategy for dealing with one of the world’s most sensitive diplomatic issues, Taiwan : to prevent conflict with China over Taiwan and the South China Sea by strengthening the military capabilities of the United States and its allies .

Just as Beijing is increasing pressure on Taiwan and Japan , China has deployed its largest fleet of ships to date in multiple East Asian waters this week.

This document is a vision statement that the government regularly updates to Congress, and it is Trump's first national security strategy since taking office in January.

The eight mentions of Taiwan indicate a stronger stance.

The document states: "Ideally, preventing conflict over the Taiwan issue should be achieved by maintaining military superiority, which is of paramount importance."

China considers Taiwan to be part of its territory and has never renounced the use of force to reunify it. China also claims extensive regional sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, leading to sovereignty disputes with many of its neighbors.

Although the United States does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, it is its most important international supporter and is legally obligated to provide Taiwan with the resources it needs for self-defense. This has been a point of friction in US-China relations for many years.

The new strategy document uses a tougher language on the Taiwan issue than the version used during Trump's first term. The 2017 version mentioned Taiwan only three times in one sentence and continued with traditional diplomatic language.

The latest strategy mentions Taiwan eight times across three paragraphs, stating: "Given its location in a trade-intensive sea area, its strategic position, and its dominant position in semiconductor manufacturing, Taiwan naturally becomes a focus of attention."

Demanding that Japan and South Korea, allies, assume more responsibility

The document states, "We will build a force capable of deterring any aggression along the island chain stretching from Japan to Southeast Asia." However, it also emphasizes, "The U.S. military cannot and should not shoulder this responsibility alone. Our allies must step up and increase their commitment, and more importantly, take more concrete action to strengthen collective defense."

The report states that this will enhance "the U.S. and its allies' ability to deter any attempt to seize Taiwan" and prevent any actions that "make it impossible to defend Taiwan."

A closer relationship with China?

Trump tends to avoid directly stating how he will handle tensions across the Taiwan Strait. In contrast, his predecessor Biden, during his 2021-2025 term, repeatedly stated that the United States would defend Taiwan should China invade.

Trump's transactional foreign policy style and his attempts to forge a closer relationship with Chinese President Xi Jinping have raised concerns that U.S. support for regional allies, including Taiwan and those from Tokyo to Manila, may weaken. Trump plans to visit Beijing next April to discuss extending the trade truce with Xi.

Last month, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated in the Diet that Japan might respond militarily if China launched an attack on Taiwan, threatening Japan's interests , which drew strong criticism from Beijing . Reuters previously reported that Trump had privately asked Takaichi not to escalate the dispute with China .

However, Trump also signed a new law requiring the government to periodically review interactions with Taipei and approved the sale of $330 million worth of fighter jets and other aircraft parts to Taiwan. Both moves were seen by Taiwan as signals of support. Trump also pressured Japan and South Korea —two key regional allies of the United States—to increase defense spending.

A document criticizing Europe for being "too free" has been accused of containing racist undertones.

The document uses harsh language against Europe, supporting far-right claims that immigration will lead to the "death of civilization" in Europe. It describes the issue of nationality from a distinctly racial perspective, stating that some NATO countries are likely to see a "non-European majority" in the coming decades.

David Dunn, professor of international politics at the University of Birmingham, told Deutsche Welle on Friday (December 5) that the US strategic document “contains particularly harsh criticism of Europe.”

Dunn criticized the new US strategy for "lacking ideological coherence": "It picks different ideas for different regions of the world, without a unified guiding ideology." "For example, it claims not to criticize undemocratic countries, nor does it want to promote democracy, but it is happy to criticize Europe for being 'too free.'"

Dunn argues that the document implies Europe "will no longer be Europeanized," a view with nationalist leanings and even implicit racism, while also attacking liberal values ​​as a betrayal of tradition.

Scholars: Europe can no longer assume that the "old world order" still exists.

Dunn emphasized that this new strategy negates the United States' leadership role of the past 80 years and makes Europe "no longer able to assume that the old world order still exists."

"Europe must realize that it can no longer rely on the United States as it has for the past 80 years. Europe must realize that the United States today is very different from the past, and is not only subject to Trump's will, but is institutionalizing a new worldview."

Foreign policy regression

Furthermore, Dunn argues that the United States is reverting to "sphere of influence" politics. On the Russia-Ukraine issue, the US appears to be attempting to appease Russia and pressure Ukraine to further cede territory. Its actions in Venezuela also seem to indicate a willingness to act arbitrarily in Latin America . This represents a regression to a 19th-century version of American foreign policy. The US retreating into its own affairs is neither in its own interest nor in the broader interest of global security.

He pointed out that this US strategy deviates from traditional practices, as US foreign policy documents have always emphasized allies, shared values, and common interests, "but none of these are reflected in the new strategy." All that's seen is criticism and scrutiny of Europe. "America First" means the US is abandoning its traditional role in European security. Europe must be prepared to "respond independently."