Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Sunday, a month after President-elect Donald Trump’s phone call with her.

Cruz and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott met with the Taiwanese leader and discussed trade and swapped gifts, including a Taiwanese vase and a clock with the Texas state seal, the Houston Chronicle reported.

Cruz said in a statement that before the meeting, Houston’s congressional delegation received a “curious” letter from the Chinese consulate asking the delegation not to meet with Tsai and uphold the “One-China” policy.

“The People’s Republic of China needs to understand that in America we make decisions about meeting with visitors for ourselves,” he said. “This is not about the PRC. This is about the U.S. relationship with Taiwan, an ally we are legally bound to defend.”

Last month, Trump accepted a congratulatory phone call from the Taiwanese leader, in a break from precedent observed since 1979.

The Chronicle reported that at the time, Cruz tweeted he’d rather have Trump calling Taiwan than Raul Castro or speaking with Iranian leaders and called it “an improvement.”