Last week, China led a major encirclement of the island nation in a series of drills. Before that, Taiwanese President Tsai met with U.S. lawmakers and Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy in which they affirmed a strong “bond” between the two nations. These are not only military promises—the U.S. and Taiwan have been working toward advancing trade and investment plans to tie the two nations closer to each other.

In response to the meeting, China threatened a “forceful” retaliation, and Taiwan has urged America to help with training and weapons transfers. Former Trump Administration advisors argue that China’s military ambitions seem to expand beyond Taiwan and for “distant power projection,” far beyond the South China Sea.