Retired U.S. officials met with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Monday and praised the island’s democratic processes under which it elected a new president and legislature over the weekend in defiance of China’s claim of sovereignty over Taiwan and threat to annex it by military force.

“Taiwan’s democracy has set a shining example for the world, a democratic success story based on transparency, the rule of law and respect for human rights and freedoms,” former national security adviser Stephen Hadley said.

America’s commitment to Taiwan is “rock solid,” he said.

The visit came as the Pacific Island nation of Nauru announced it was switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, reducing Taiwan’s number of diplomatic allies to just 12.