Pentagon Exposes Classified Information Again: Military Force to Protect Taiwan?

Hello everyone, welcome to “News Talk”. I’m Fu Yao. Today is March 31st, Monday.

Today’s focus: Classified documents from the US Department of Defense exposed! Will the US use military force to protect Taiwan? More Chinese Communist agents targeted by the US Department of Justice; Tariffs from 15 countries looming, the US is sharpening its knives! Can Li Ka-shing’s CK Group withstand pressure from the Chinese Communist Party?

Our guests for this episode are: Li Hengqing, an economist from the American Institute for Economic and Strategic Studies, and Qin Peng, a current affairs commentator and senior political and economic analyst.

Over the weekend, The Washington Post revealed a 9-page classified memorandum signed by US Secretary of Defense Hagessayes, titled “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance”.

According to The Washington Post, this strategic guidance prioritizes “preventing Chinese Communist Party’s occupation of Taiwan” as a top priority for US defense strategy, with a focus on redeploying military assets towards the Indo-Pacific region.

Secretary of Defense Hagessayes mentioned that “the Chinese Communist Party is the sole threat to the Department of Defense, denying the Chinese Communist Party’s use of ‘established facts’ to take over Taiwan,” and stressed that “defending the US mainland is the Department of Defense’s sole mission.” The guidance calls for the Pentagon to increase troops by deploying submarines, bombers, unmanned ships, and special forces from the Army and Marine Corps, establishing pre-positioned reserves, and improving logistics support.

In addition to “deterrence defense,” the US is also exerting pressure on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. From Greenland to the Panama Canal, and down to Cape Horn in South America, the US military is ready to defend against any threat posed to the US in the Western Hemisphere.

The guidance also calls for the US to strengthen homeland defense while sharing risks with Europe and other regions, urging them to increase defense spending in the face of threats from Russia, North Korea, and Iran. Furthermore, the strategic guidance also demands that the military play a greater role in combating illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

This document serves as a framework for senior defense officials and most paragraphs are marked with the phrase “classified / not to be disclosed to foreign nationals,” raising questions as to why such a highly confidential document was exposed.

On Sunday, Hagessayes, who is currently visiting Japan, explicitly stated that efforts need to be made to enhance the US-Japan alliance to counter the Chinese Communist Party.

Qin Peng, what is your assessment of the authenticity of the content exposed this time? Is the US truly arming itself in the Indo-Pacific region preparing for a conflict with the Chinese Communist Party?

There have been recent leaks and exposures of classified information, arrangements, and high-level national security discussions within the US government, sparking significant controversy. Could you provide some insights into this matter?

Li Hengqing, the recently exposed Defense Department memorandum mentions that the Chinese Communist Party is the sole threat to the US Department of Defense. Does this align with the current US planning and pace of action?

Referring to the US-China confrontation, on Friday, the FBI in conjunction with the Department of Homeland Security conducted day-long searches at the residences of a Chinese couple who are professors at Indiana University, amidst a tight-lipped response from officials.

The Chinese couple, Xiaofeng Wang and Nianli Ma, work at Indiana University’s Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering. Additionally, Ming Xi Zhang, the owner of the well-known Chinese restaurant Yaya Noodle in Skillman, New Jersey, was arrested by ICE for being a Chinese agent without notifying the US government, and is currently in custody.

Qin Peng, do you believe the increased scrutiny of Chinese agents across various US states is a result of irreversibility stemming from US-China confrontation?

Li Hengqing, The Wall Street Journal previously reported that US and Chinese leaders are expected to hold a summit in Washington in June, with tensions not easing and no apparent signs of goodwill from the US towards China before this meeting. Do you think Xi Jinping will still travel given the internal political turmoil he faces in China?

New Tang Dynasty TV crew