CHINA warned the United States today against undermining democracy and continuing support for Taiwanese independence after a US delegation visited the island in defiance of “blunt” warnings to call off the trip.

A bipartisan group from the US House of Representatives arrived on the breakaway island on Thursday to meet the Taipei leadership, holding talks with President Tsai Ing Wen and other senior officials.

California Congressman Mark Takano, who led the delegation, said that the meeting had gone ahead to “remind our partners and allies, after two trying years that we’ve endured, that our commitment and shared responsibility for a free and secure Indo-Pacific region remain stronger than ever.”