SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) – Tensions were running high during the week as China escalates military exercises against Taiwan.

Lawmakers across the country and here in Utah have been calling for action against China. In fact, the Utah legislature passed several bills with bipartisan support.

Representative Candice Pierucci (R), Riverton, sponsored those bills.

“The Chinese government tries to intimidate and bully people to stand down. What we do need to be doing right now is signaling that we do stand with the people of Taiwan and that we are preparing ourselves militarily,” said Pierucci.

It’s something both sides say should be addressed with urgency.

“They’re a force that we have to take very seriously because of the power that they have now, geopolitical power. In the next decade or two they could dominate the world, and we do not want that to happen. I think they are planning to take over Asia and they would certainly like to have Taiwan back. It’s very important with geopolitical power you also have economic power, and I think to move to start manufacturing more goods in the United States is a good move,” said Representative Carol Spackman Moss (D), Holladay.

Another move lawmakers are pursuing is banning TikTok. Representative Pierucci says it should happen.

“There’s a critical reason why. The parent company to TikTok is subject to Chinese law which requires them to report personal and private data,” said Pierucci.

The two representatives join us this week on Inside Utah Politics to discuss the latest with China, and Speaker Brad Wilson exploring a run for U.S. Senate in 2024.