In the past week, the looming threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan grew closer as China ramped up aggressive military tactics against the country and international leaders announced a position of neutrality.

The United States has long been a key ally of Taiwan, supplying it with billions of dollars in weaponry to support its ‘Porcupine Strategy’, which aims to make the cost of a Chinese invasion high enough that it will deter them.

While Taiwan continues to receive weapons from the United States, it is losing on the diplomatic front as countries continue to sever relations with them and take a position of neutrality on its independence.

This week, French President Emmanuel Macron signaled that his country would stay out of a conflict between China and Taiwan, saying that he does not want to get involved in ‘bloc vs bloc conflict’ between the United States and China.

Meanwhile, China has ramped up aggressive military drills off of Taiwan’s coast, simulating a blockade of the island that would slow down or prevent US intervention.

The drills come just two weeks after Taiwan’s leadership met with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Ca.)

Leading Republicans have blasted Biden’s ‘weakness’ when it comes to the United States’ foreign policy with China, saying that China’s recent aggressive actions against Taiwan are a direct result of his inaction.

Ohio Rep. says adversaries of the United States are benefiting from President Biden's weakness | Just The News https://t.co/kpYPvePvO2

— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) April 11, 2023

AP News Reports–

China’s military declared Monday it is “ready to fight” after completing three days of large-scale combat exercises around Taiwan that simulated sealing off the island in response to the Taiwanese president’s trip to the U.S. last week.

The “combat readiness patrols” named Joint Sword were meant as a warning to self-governing Taiwan, which China claims as its own, China’s military said earlier.

“The theater’s troops are ready to fight at all times and can fight at any time to resolutely smash any form of ‘Taiwan independence’ and foreign interference attempts,” it said Monday.

The exercises were similar to ones conducted by China last August, when it launched missile strikes on targets in the seas around Taiwan in retaliation for then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, but have been smaller and less disruptive.

Military experts say the exercises serve both as intimidation and as an opportunity for Chinese troops to practice sealing off Taiwan by blocking sea and air traffic, an important strategic option the Chinese military might pursue in the event it uses military force to take Taiwan.