Former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, visited Taiwan March 3.
During his visit, Taiwan President, Tsai Ing-wen, presented Pompeo with the Order of the Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon, one of Taiwan’s top honors, for boosting relations between the United States and the island, according to a Reuters report.
China has long claimed Taiwan is part of the communist nation, while the island claims to be independent. Chinese officials also shared their displeasure with the visit.
"The relevant actions from Pompeo are despicable and inevitably a futile effort," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, said in the report.
A leading Chinese newspaper, the party's official People's Daily, called Pompeo an "extremely notorious" anti-China politician who "took pride in lying and deceit" during his time in office, Reuters reported.
China also sanctioned Pompeo and 27 other Trump officials once they left office due to their support of Taiwan as an independent country and opposition toward the Chinese Communist Party, according to the report.
While China appeared to be upset over the visit, Taiwan’s president shared her support for the occasion.
"A visit from such a good friend as Secretary Pompeo attests to the strong Taiwan-U.S. friendship," she told Reuters.
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