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(NewsNation) – In the fourth GOP debatethe Republican presidential candidates discussed how they would react if China invaded Taiwan.

China’s potential threat to Taiwan has become one Hot button problem in foreign policy discussions this election cycle.

The newest NewsNation/Decision Desk HQ poll The study released Monday found that Americans across the political spectrum prefer that U.S. foreign policy for the conflicts in Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan not include sending troops to those regions, even though respondents from both parties favor the three conflicts judged differently.

Here’s what the candidates had to say about China and Taiwan at the debate.

Ron DeSantis

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that deterring China would be his “most important national security task” if elected, but stopped short of saying he would send troops to Taiwan if China invaded.

Asked how he would respond to a possible invasion, DeSantis said: “We’ll be able to prevent that.”

DeSantis has said previously it would move in the direction of revoking China’s permanent status of normal trade relations with the US. During the debate, he stressed the importance of protecting Taiwan to prevent China’s power from spreading.

“Taiwan is important, not just because of semiconductors, it is important because if China can break out of this first island chain, it will be able to dominate trade throughout the Indo-Pacific. They will use this to export authoritarianism around the world, including here in the United States,” DeSantis said during the debate.

Nikki Haley

Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley argued that the best way to deter China is to build partnerships with India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and the Philippines.

“We need to make sure we don’t rely on China for our national security, which means we need to focus now on doing deals with our friends,” Haley said.

Like DeSantis, Haley has framed China as the “greatest threat to American security” and accused both President Biden and former President Donald Trump of mishandling the situation. In the debate, she reiterated her commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by China.

We must “let China know that there will be hell to pay if it moves into Taiwan; “They need to know that there will be a force that will act against them,” Haley said.

Vivek Ramaswamy

Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy He previously suggested opening a branch of the National Rifle Association in Taiwan and putting an AR-15 in the hands of every family to “give Xi a taste of American exceptionalism.” During the debate he said this proposal was part of a larger deterrence strategy.

“I also believe that the Second Amendment is a critical way to stop foreign autocrats from…it worked in America, why wouldn’t it work in Taiwan?” So it’s part of a larger strategy,” Ramaswamy said. “But I think we need to flesh out our deterrence strategy, otherwise Xi Jinping will advance day by day.”

Like Haley, Ramaswamy emphasized the need to strengthen ties with allies in the region.

“We need to move forward in our relationship with India and take it to the next level. India must be able to block the Andaman Sea, from which China gets most of its Middle East oil supplies. This is crucial,” Ramaswamy said in the debate.

Chris Christie

Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie rejected Ramaswamy’s plans on the grounds that the US had no constitutional authority over Taiwan, but said he would definitely send troops to defend it in the event of an invasion by China.

“As president, I want us to take military action and defend them. Secondly, I am not afraid to do this on the basis of these economic relations, because economic relations mean nothing, nothing if China is going to operate in this region. That’s not right,” Christie said.

When asked about military action against China, Christie said said earlier he “would do what needs to be done to use the U.S. military against China” to defend Taiwan. Earlier this year, Christie criticized the Biden administration’s approach to dealing with China, saying Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip to Beijing was “a day late and a dollar short.”

He also criticized former President Donald Trump Trade relations in ChinaHe said this is driving inflation in the US

“All he did was impose tariffs that raised prices for every American,” Christie said. “You can’t say he was good at trade because he didn’t… change any Chinese policy. He failed at that.”