China announced Monday it is "extremely dissatisfied" that leading Taiwanese and American security officials met earlier this month, Reuters reports.
National Security Adviser John Bolton met with Taiwan national security chief David Lee earlier this month, during Lee's trip to the United States. This was the first meeting since the U.S. and Taiwan severed formal diplomatic ties in 1979, according to the country's official Central News Agency.
"During the trip, together with U.S. government officials, Secretary-General Lee met with representatives from our diplomatic allies, reiterating support and commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific region," reads an official statement from Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan its province, responded to the report with a message from Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang.
"China is extremely dissatisfied and resolutely opposed to this," Kang said during a daily news briefing.
He added China opposes any official exchanges between the U.S. and Taiwan.
Reuters notes China has stepped up its campaign to assert its authority over the island, increasing its drills in the South China Sea. The U.S. has recently drawn China's ire for increasing patrols through the Taiwan Strait.
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