WASHINGTON, December 5. /TASS/. The United States views deterring a potential conflict over Taiwan, including through maintaining military superiority, as one of its priorities, according to the updated National Security Strategy released by the White House.

"Deterring a conflict over Taiwan, ideally by preserving military overmatch, is a priority," the document states, noting that because a third of global freight passes through the South China Sea each year, any crisis there could significantly affect the US economy.

The strategy emphasizes that Washington pays particular attention to Taiwan due to its "dominance of semiconductor production." It also warns that potential control of the South China Sea by "any competitor" of the US could allow "a potentially hostile power to impose a toll system over one of the world’s most vital lanes of commerce or – worse – to close and reopen it at will." "Either of those two outcomes would be harmful to the US economy and broader US interests," the document stresses.

In this context, the strategy says the United States must continue investing in its Navy and cooperate with partners such as India and Japan to ensure that these trade routes remain open and free of tariffs.

"Preventing conflict requires a vigilant posture in the Indo-Pacific, a renewed defense industrial base, greater military investment from ourselves and from allies and partners, and winning the economic and technological competition over the long term," the strategy outlines.