UNITED STATES politicians met the head of Taiwan’s legislature today as part of a five-day visit to the island that comes as US-China relations continue to worsen.

The delegation, which arrived on Sunday, includes representatives Ro Khanna of California, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois.

They are expected to meet President Tsai Ing-wen as well as business people.

Today they held talks with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company founder Morris Chang, considered the father of the island’s computer chip industry.

Mr Khanna, a Democrat who represents Silicon Valley, said that he was in Taiwan to learn about the island’s role in the semiconductor industry. Mr Khanna and Mr Auchincloss are both members of the new House select committee focused on competition with China.

Mr Khanna said: “Our efforts to come here are in no way provocative of China, but consistent with [US President Joe Biden’s] foreign policy that recognises the importance of the relationship like Taiwan, while still seeking, ultimately, peace in the region.”

China regards Taiwan as part of its territory, a position officially shared by the United States. During the Munich security conference last weekend, China’s top diplomat Wang Yi said that the “one China” principle must be upheld in order to preserve stability across the Taiwan strait.

But president of Taiwan’s legislature You Si-kun used a speech during the visit to hit back, saying: “Taiwan has already become an independent sovereign nation.”

The delegation’s visit follows reports by the Financial Times of a sensitive trip made by the Pentagon’s top China official Michael Chase to Taiwan on Friday.

A Pentagon spokesperson did not comment on the visit but instead repeated that “our commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region.”

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it had no information about any such visit.

Tensions over Taiwan came to a head in August last year after then speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi became the highest ranking US politician to visit the island.

The tense relationship between the US and China worsened further last month after Washington accused Beijing of launching a spy balloon that was shot down over the US east coast.

This weekend US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused China of having plans to provide weapons to Russia for its war in Ukraine, something China denies.