President Tsai Ing-wen showed her support after Hsiao Bi-khim, Taiwan’s top envoy to the United States, used “Taiwan Ambassador to the U.S.” on her Twitter bio, a move that was widely criticized by China’s state media.

Hsiao, the first female appointed as Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to the U.S., was found introducing herself as “Taiwan Ambassador to the U.S.” on her Twitter account.

The phrase “This is a personal account” was added after the title description.

Hsiao’s action has drawn a lot of attention from netizens, some of whom discussed whether Taiwan would announce its independence.

Hsaio wrote on her Twitter on Monday that she was “sorry to disappoint so many supporters but Taiwan Ambassador is what many call [her] and also [her] job description,” adding that her title remained as Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office when engaging with the U.S. government.

On her Facebook page, Hsiao further explained that the “ambassador” title used on her personal Twitter account was not the one currently recognized by the U.S. government, but she claimed it “for all practical purposes.”

The 49-year-old diplomat added that what she has been doing in the U.S. was no difference from other ambassadors. Thus, her friends from the U.S. have been calling her “ambassador.”

Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen backed Hsiao on Sunday, asserting her aide has been working very hard to strengthen the relations between the U.S. and Taiwan. She believed Hsiao will continue to do so no matter what title she carries.

An opinion piece published by Beijing’s mouthpiece People’s Daily slammed Taiwan for testing the boundaries. The tabloid quoted online comments which called the self-proclaimed title a shame and an anti-Chinese gesture.

Hsiao was born in Kobe, Japan, to a Taiwanese father and American mother. She grew up in the southern city of Tainan and left Taiwan for the U.S. to study. She later received a bachelor’s degree in East Asian Studies from Oberlin College and a master’s degree in political science from Columbia University.

After the Democratic Progressive Party came to power in 2000, Hsiao worked as a translator and advisor for then president Chen Shui-bian. She has also taken on numerous leadership roles in international organizations, including secretary-general of Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats and vice president of Liberal International.The marriage equality advocate was elected the legislator for Hualien County in 2016.

Hsiao served as a senior advisor at Taiwan’s National Security Council before she was dispatched to Washington as the country’s top envoy.

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