DeSantis: My goal is to deter a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, I don't want TikTok in the US

(Patria) - Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he will seek to deter China from invading Taiwan if he wins the 2024 presidential election, adding that China will refrain from such an attack if the costs outweigh the benefits, Reuters reported.

"So, my policy will be to prevent that from happening," said DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination, on Fox News when asked what he would do if China attacked Taiwan.

"China respects hard power. If they think the costs will exceed any potential benefit, they won't do it," the Florida governor said.

DeSantis said such deterrence would include "hard power" in the region, apparently referring to US military power, as well as economic levers the US could pull.

DeSantis criticized President Joe Biden's handling of China and Taiwan.

"I think under Biden we are on a course where in the next five or 10 years they will probably be able to take it," he said, referring to China and Taiwan.

"If we change course, I think we can prevent that," he added.

DeSantis, like other Republican candidates, is belligerent toward China and called it the "number one geopolitical threat" to the United States.

Former President Donald Trump currently leads among Republicans in public opinion polls, while DeSantis is second, far behind.

In a separate interview published Monday in the Wall Street Journal, DeSantis said he would consider a national ban on the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok.

"I'm inclined to say I don't want TikTok in the United States," he said.