On December 16, 2025, according to Epoch Times, the Director of the China Research Department of the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, Yu Maochun, pointed out that during President Trump’s first term, the United States’ national security strategy shifted towards countering the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), identifying it as the primary strategic threat to the U.S. Countries like the U.S., Australia, and Japan have reached a defense consensus on issues concerning Taiwan’s survival and preventing CCP infringement, recognizing the necessity of protecting Taiwan as both altruistic and in their own self-interest.
On the afternoon of December 15, the Taiwan Professors Association held a forum on “Strengthening Taiwan’s Self-Defense Capability and the Necessity of Regional Security Cooperation in the Face of CCP’s Intentions towards Taiwan and President Trump’s Indo-Pacific Strategy” at the Jinan Church. The forum featured senior researcher and Director of the China Research Department at the Hudson Institute, Yu Maochun, former Minister of National Defense of the Republic of China, Tsai Ming-Hsien, and President of the Taiwan Professors Association, Xue Huayuan. The forum was moderated by the Secretary-General of the Taiwan Professors Association, Hsu Wentang.
Yu Maochun noted that the U.S. national security strategy has undergone two major shifts in the past seventy to eighty years. The first significant change occurred in 1947 when faced with global expansion by the Soviet Union. To counter the Soviet threat, the U.S. strategically integrated its industry, education, technology, defense, and intelligence sectors, enacted the National Security Act, and engaged in a Cold War against the communist cause led by the Soviet Union, making the U.S.’s strategic focus target the Soviet Union.
He explained that the second change in the U.S. national security strategy occurred around 2015, when Donald Trump entered the presidential race. After his election as U.S. president in 2016, Trump made the most significant shift in strategic focus since World War II and released the National Security Strategy in 2017. The U.S. transitioned its strategic emphasis from addressing the Russian threat and entanglements in the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region, concentrating on countering the CCP and identifying it as the primary strategic threat to the U.S.
Yu Maochun analyzed that the reasons behind this shift included Russia’s economy being less than one-tenth of China’s, the rapid development of China’s military far surpassing Russia’s, and the U.S. assessing NATO allies’ economic strength and urging them to increase defense spending to counter the Russian threat.
Regarding Trump’s second term in office, Yu Maochun highlighted that both Democrats and Republicans in the U.S. acknowledge the CCP as the top threat. Trump’s team consists of individuals who genuinely prioritize strength and are serious, largely following his lead with minimal opposition. Therefore, the Trump administration operated as a highly centralized cabinet. He mentioned that the U.S.-China trade agreement has not been implemented, and Trump will not trust any future trade deals with the CCP but rather negotiate tariffs with China.
Yu Maochun expressed that the U.S. emphasizes trade fairness and aims to open the Chinese market as a long-term goal, seeking balanced trade with China. The core of Trump’s tariff policy is centered around the CCP. Countries closely tied to China economically, such as Canada and Mexico, have faced increased tariffs by the U.S. during the Biden administration as China utilized these countries to export to the U.S., leading to a rise in trade deficits between the U.S. and China. Countries like Vietnam, Cambodia, and Malaysia also faced similar issues with increased U.S. tariffs.
Currently, the strategic approach of the Trump administration towards the CCP is not direct confrontation, but the goal is focused on the CCP. Trump prioritized strengthening U.S. domestic capabilities, emphasized national security, addressed border issues, tackled illegal immigration and the fentanyl epidemic, and enhanced deterrence against the CCP. This includes enhancing missile defense systems and weakening the CCP’s influence in the Western Hemisphere, such as supporting efforts to remove the pro-CCP government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela.
Yu Maochun pointed out that the U.S.’s strategy to deter the CCP focused on strengthening relationships with allies, elevating allies’ international status, and emphasizing collective defense rather than relying solely on the U.S., promoting shared security responsibilities.
He stated that the U.S.’s best friends include Israel, Poland, South Korea, and Japan. Among NATO countries, Poland is highly esteemed by the U.S. as Poland significantly developed its defense capabilities after shedding communist rule, allocating defense budgets exceeding 5% of its GDP. South Korea also possesses a strong sense of self-defense, and the coordination between U.S. and South Korean military command policies and operations can achieve a high level of integration. South Korea has the capability to rapidly convert shipbuilding and defense industries for wartime use and possess ally characteristics appreciated by the U.S.
He emphasized, “The U.S. helps those who help themselves. The determination of whether the U.S. truly intends to assist Taiwan largely depends on Taiwan’s own commitment to self-defense.”
Regarding U.S. policy towards Taiwan and Taiwan’s status, he mentioned that the U.S.’s “One China Policy” differs significantly from the CCP’s “One China Principle.” The U.S. does not recognize Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China and strongly opposes any attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait by force.
Yu Maochun expressed that the U.S. views Taiwan as a beacon of democracy and symbol of freedom in Asia. This is the reason the U.S. supports Taiwan, and countries like the U.S., Australia, and Japan have formed a new defense consensus regarding Taiwan, seeing its survival and prevention of CCP infringement as not only Taiwan’s benefit but also in the interest of the U.S. Therefore, “protecting Taiwan is both altruistic and a necessity for self-interest.” It is evident that Taiwan’s semiconductor industry leads globally, and if Taiwan falls, the security of the first island chain will be significantly compromised.
UN Resolution 2758 has never recognized Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China, and the San Francisco Peace Treaty emphasizes that Taiwan’s status remains undetermined. Japanese Prime Minister Kashiwagi Sanae publicly stated that “if Taiwan is in trouble, it means Japan is in trouble.” Regarding this issue, Yu Maochun pointed out that Prime Minister Kashiwagi’s remarks posed a significant challenge to the CCP as it debunked the CCP’s false narrative on the Taiwan issue. Taiwan’s status is an international consensus, not an internal matter of the CCP.