00:00A focus on the Western Hemisphere, calling for allies to take on more responsibility for their
00:05own defense, and no mention of Taiwan, the Pentagon's latest national defense strategy
00:10does not seem to ease concerns over U.S. commitments to defending its partners around the world.
00:14But experts in Taiwan say that the strategy not mentioning the country
00:17does not mean any less commitment from the U.S. to regional security.
00:30The document's goal is to lay out where the U.S. military should be focusing, one expert said.
00:56The strategy says the U.S. will deter China, quote,
00:59through strength, not confrontation, and that the American goal is for a state of peace
01:03where neither side dominates the other. Joseph Wu, a member of Taiwan's National Security Council,
01:08says the strategy's goal is to prevent China from controlling the region
01:12and that Taiwan would continue to invest in its defense to deter Chinese aggression.
01:16The U.S. Defense Department published the strategy just days after Raymond Green,
01:20head of the de facto U.S. Embassy in Taipei, said in a speech that freedom isn't free
01:25and called for Taiwan to continue boosting its defense spending.
01:28It comes amid ongoing legislative deadlock in Taiwan,
01:31which has left about 20% of the country's defense budget waiting to be approved,
01:35and President Lai Ching-de's separate $40 billion U.S. special defense proposal stalled.
01:39Meanwhile, China continues to claim sovereignty over Taiwan
01:42and has not ruled out taking the country by force.
01:45Yuan Duan and Larry Siano for Taiwan Plus.
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