U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg called on Tuesday to allow Taiwan to participate in a U.N. body overseeing civil aviation, drawing criticism from the Chinese government.

“We believe that all of international civil aviation’s important stakeholders -- particularly those who administer critical airspace, like Taiwan -- should have the opportunity to participate meaningfully in ICAO’s work,” Buttigieg said at the International Civil Aviation Organization assembly held every three years and the first since the COVID-19 pandemic.