Taiwan on Saturday lauded the trilateral meeting among President Marcos, US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, while China, which claims sovereignty over the self-governing island, was angered by the three leaders’ supposed interference of internal affairs between Beijing and Taipei.

“Taiwan aligns with @POTUS, @Kishida230 & @bongbongmarcos for a free & open #IndoPacific built on respect for international law!” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a post on X.

The self-governing island also called the summit “historic” as the three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Prior to Taiwan’s statement, China already expressed dissatisfaction about the trilateral talk, particularly when the three leaders mentioned the cross-Strait relations.

Mao Ning, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said Friday that the “Taiwan question is purely China’s internal affair.”

She said that resolving such a “question” is a matter for the Chinese themselves “that no one can interfere.”

She said that the biggest threat to cross-Strait peace now is the supposed separatist activities of “Taiwan independence” forces and external connivance and support for them.

“If relevant countries truly care about cross-Strait peace and stability and want the world to be safe and prosperous, they should uphold the one-China principle, unequivocally oppose ‘Taiwan independence’ separatist activities, and support China’s reunification,” Mao said.

“This is the right way to ensure peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. No one should underestimate the will and capability of the Chinese people to safeguard our sovereignty and territorial integrity,” she added.