China significantly heightened its aggressive posture toward the democratic state of Taiwan earlier this week, encircling the island nation during military drills and publicly emphasizing the possibility of an armed invasion. Experts say the hostile actions are an indication that an armed conflict in the region is growing more likely, which could spell disaster for human rights and religious freedom in Taiwan.

On Monday, Xi Jinping’s communist regime staged “large-scale drills” that completely surrounded Taiwan in a record-sized military exercise. As reported by The New York Times, “Chinese warplanes, deployed in record numbers, crossed an informal boundary between China and Taiwan. Chinese Coast Guard boats joined naval ships in encircling Taiwan. Fighter jets took off from an aircraft carrier parked off the island’s east coast.”

The Times went on to note that the drill was “the second time in less than five months that China has conducted similar exercises,” marking a stark increase from just two such drills staged in the previous eight years.

The war games were conducted as a response to a speech given by Taiwan President Lai Ching-te during the island’s National Day, in which he stated that China “has no right to represent Taiwan” and that he would “uphold the commitment to resist annexation or encroachment upon our sovereignty.” Lai also marked a conciliatory note, adding that he is willing to work with China on climate change, infectious diseases, and “regional security.”

Following Monday’s extensive drills, Chen Binhua, spokesperson for China’s Taiwan Affairs Office stated, “We are willing to strive for the prospect of peaceful reunification with the utmost sincerity and endeavor. But we will never commit ourselves to renouncing the use of force.”

Chen added, “No matter how many troops Taiwan has and how many weapons it acquires, and no matter whether external forces intervene or not, if it [Taiwan] dares to take risks, it will lead to its own destruction. Our actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will not cease for a moment.” China has claimed that Taiwan is part of its territory ever since the island broke away in 1949, vowing “to eventually ‘unify’ Taiwan with the mainland.”

Experts say China’s drills are a worrisome indication of the continued military buildup and aggression of the communist regime.

“[W]hen I think back to the combinations and capabilities that [China’s People’s Liberation Army] had in 2014, I see a very, very dangerous trajectory,” Army Gen. Charles A. Flynn remarked Tuesday at the Center for New American Security. “[T]hey’re taking pages right out of our book and putting them in place to build a force, [anti-access, area denial] arsenal that they have created.”

Flynn, the commander of U.S. Army forces in the Pacific, further observed that this pattern of aggression being displayed by Chinese President Xi Jinping is headed in a concerning direction. “[I]f that’s the trajectory they’ve been on from 2014 to 2024, if you can think out in time to from 2024 to 2034 and then you think about President Xi is 70, might be 71 at this particular point — he’s got to make a decision, in my view, in the next decade, and so we have to slow this trajectory down.”

The Washington Times noted that Xi has indeed “ordered PLA forces to be prepared for military action against Taiwan in the next 10 years or less.”

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that China is simultaneously conducting a highly aggressive hacking campaign against Taiwan with the goal of “weaken[ing] the island’s resolve.” While Monday’s drills were commencing, Taiwan was “hit … with at least twice the average number of daily attempted breaches, the military’s cyber command reported.” In addition, the communist regime “is employing an expanding army of hackers, diplomats, prosecutors and celebrities in its effort to persuade Taiwan to submit to Beijing,” including using social media to present the military drills as “an act of love” — part of a “multifaceted campaign to intimidate, isolate and influence the people and leaders of the island democracy to give up their commitment to self-rule.”

In comments to The Washington Stand, Arielle Del Turco, director of the Center for Religious Liberty at Family Research Council, emphasized that China’s increasingly hostile actions spell danger for the personal freedoms of the Taiwanese people.

“Beijing has long been threating a takeover of Taiwan, a democratically self-governed society that protects the human rights of its citizens, unlike China’s communist leaders,” she told TWS. “Such a takeover would be tragic for the Taiwanese people and for the region. In recent years, Taiwan’s government has intentionally protected, promoted, and been a regional leader on religious freedom. If Beijing seized control, we can imagine that Taiwan’s robust religious freedom protections would fade quickly. This would be a grave situation for Taiwan’s religious believers.”

“The world doesn’t want to see the lights go off on the Taiwanese people’s liberties like it did when Beijing exerted control over Hong Kong a few years ago,” Del Turco concluded. “We must stand with Taiwan.”