WATCH: Pelosi says China 'one of the freest societies in the world'

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said that China is one of the "freest societies in the world," citing DC non-profit Freedom House.

"We still support the 'one China' policy, we go there to acknowledge the status quo is what our policy is, there is nothing disruptive about that. It was only about saying, China is one of the freest societies in the world, don't take it from me, that's from Freedom House, it's a strong democracy, courageous people," she said.

Freedom House, however, does not list China as a free country, calling its government an "authoritarian regime" that has "become increasingly repressive in recent years."

Freedom House writes: "The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) continues to tighten control over all aspects of life and governance, including the state bureaucracy, the media, online speech, religious practice, universities, businesses, and civil society associations, and it has undermined an earlier series of modest rule-of-law reforms. The CCP leader and state president, Xi Jinping, has consolidated personal power to a degree not seen in China for decades."

Freedom House considers the small island nation of Taiwan, however, to be "free," ranking 94/100 on its freedom scale. Perhaps this is what Pelosi was referring to, as she just returned from a trip to Taiwan. Pelosi's Taiwan trip was a huge issue for China, which took the opportunity to engage in a massive show of force over the island.

"Taiwan’s vibrant and competitive democratic system has allowed three peaceful transfers of power between rival parties since 2000, and protections for civil liberties are generally robust. Ongoing concerns include inadequate safeguards against the exploitation of foreign migrant workers, and the Chinese government’s efforts to influence policymaking, the media, and democratic infrastructure in Taiwan," Freedom House states.

Pelosi also recently held Taiwan in high regard, praising it as "one of the freest societies in the world" during her contentious visit there last week. "We want Taiwan to always have freedom with security and we're not backing away from that," she said.

The self-ruling island has faced increased threats of violence from the CCP in recent days following Pelosi's visit to there, to repeated condemnation by the communists. US officials have made clear, though that they do not support an independent Taiwan, despite comments from President Joe Biden that the US would "militarily defend" it.