China is the biggest geopolitical rival to the United States, yet the first Republican primary debate made almost no mention of it. This relative silence on China has been typical of the campaign so far despite China’s threat to U.S. dominance on the world stage and the risk of war in Taiwan.

People need to know how the candidates will handle China. The U.S. needs a comprehensive plan for China-related issues, which involve everything from national security to artificial intelligence development to the astronomical national debt.

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Here are five questions on China for the next debate:

1. Will you defend Taiwan if China attacks?

Defending a free and democratic people from an authoritarian communist regime is not only a moral imperative but also a practical necessity given the strategic importance of semiconductors for our technology. America and our allies, and our very modern economies, rely overwhelmingly on Taiwanese microchips.

If China were to invade Taiwan and seize its semiconductor production, it could rapidly catch up to the U.S. in areas such as AI technology, especially if China also uses espionage to undercut our advantage.

This leads to another pressing question.

2. How will you stop China from stealing our technology?

China has long engaged in the theft of intellectual property from American companies.

Nathaniel Fick, U.S. ambassador at large for cyberspace and digital policy, warned this summer that China would use its “playbook” to steal AI. American companies are not prepared to meet this threat. These companies need assistance from U.S. authorities, and the federal government will need to promote AI innovation that is safe itself and secure from falling into the hands of bad actors.

3. How will you respond if China interferes in US elections?

Foreign AI propaganda will influence U.S. elections next year. That influence could be minor and inconsequential, or it could be massively disruptive, depending on the actions we take now to defend our electoral system from foreign operations.

We know Russia runs social media campaigns to sow discord and interfere in our elections. They promote memes and misinformation around the wedge issues that divide us.

Now China has entered the game. Following the wildfires in Hawaii, for example, China spread disinformation claiming the U.S. started the wildfires by testing a “weather weapon” against its own people. AI-generated images bolstered the false claims.

The disinformation about Maui marked a change in Chinese tactics, and experts believe China is preparing to use social media to sow discord in the 2024 elections.

4. Will you ban the Chinese app TikTok?

AI will make Chinese disinformation more believable, and unlike Russia, China has an incredible tool to deliver its fake news to American voters: TikTok.

More than 150 million Americans use TikTok, which is owned by Chinese tech firm ByteDance. Chinese law requires domestic companies to assist or cooperate with the state’s intelligence operations. According to a former ByteDance executive, the Chinese Communist Party previously accessed user data with a “god credential,” bypassing privacy features. Chinese disinformation campaigns can train their AI on the vast troves of data gathered from U.S. users.

Former President Donald Trump tried to ban TikTok but bungled the effort. President Joe Biden might want to ban TikTok but likely needs legislation from Congress.

The next administration must try again, this time on multiple fronts, attempting both an outright ban that can overcome First Amendment concerns and economic measures that render the app unprofitable for its Chinese owners.

5. What should we do about our debt owned by China, and vice versa?

The U.S. debt has grown to a colossal $33 trillion under Biden. China holds about $850 billion of that debt.

A less-known fact is the debt goes both ways. Thousands of American citizens hold Chinese sovereign debt, and China has been in default on that debt for decades. These particular bonds, more than $1 trillion worth, go back to the Chinese Communist Party’s succession to power. The CCP has long ignored its obligations for the debt, enjoying access to U.S. capital markets while in default to American bondholders.

One way the U.S. can finally handle this situation is to acquire the Chinese bonds from the American bondholders and use them to offset the U.S. debt held by China.

Republican primary candidates should have this issue on their radar and be ready to tackle the debt problem in an aggressive way.

In an ideal world, the relationship with China would be a healthy competition between two great nations, both of which respect human rights and international norms. Achieving this positive outcome, and avoiding the opposite outcome of conflict and war, will require careful maneuvering by the next president. The Republican National Committee should raise these issues now and guide the discussion about China in the coming debates.

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Tyler Deaton is president of Allegiance Strategies, a Washington, D.C.-based, center-right public affairs firm that advises members of Congress on AI policy, civil rights, immigration, and more.