TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — In a gesture of defiance against China, an official of India’s ruling party put billboards outside the Chinese embassy in Delhi showing Taiwan flags and congratulatory messages on the country's national day Saturday (Oct. 10).

The action followed the highly publicized letter from the Chinese embassy telling Indian media how to “properly” report Taiwan’s Double Ten day. Striking back, Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, spokesman for the New Delhi office of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), put up 100 signs showing the Taiwan flag and the words, “Taiwan Happy National Day October 10,” CNA reported.

The posters, which also bore the author’s name, appeared on poles in the vicinity of the Chinese embassy. The Municipal Council reportedly removed them within hours after Bagga had tweeted about his action.

The politician told CNA he wanted to emphasize how Taiwan and India were both democratic countries, where freedom of the press could not be restricted by China.

Both countries have become closer in the face of threats by China. Indian troops have clashed with the People’s Liberation Army on their Himalayan border, while Chinese warplanes and warships have violated Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) almost daily over the past few months.

Bagga’s action received widespread attention in the Indian media, pushing the hashtag #TaiwanNationalDay to third place in the country’s Twitter rankings, CNA reported.