Sunday marked the beginning of a two-day visit by a delegation of US congressmen to Taiwan, likely exacerbating tensions with China.

After US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan earlier this month, Beijing, which regards Taiwan as a "separatist province," staged extensive military exercises near the self-governed island.

According to the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto US Embassy in Taipei, the US delegation is chaired by Senator Ed Markey and consists of four House members.

According to the statement, the visit is part of a larger tour of the Indo-Pacific area.

The team will meet with Taiwan's top officials, including President Tsai Ing-wen and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

According to a release, discussions will center on "US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, global supply chains, climate change, and other issues of mutual importance."

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry hailed "the like-minded US lawmakers for the timely visit and unwavering support" in a tweet.

China has yet to comment on the visit, as its relations with Washington had substantially deteriorated since August 2, when Pelosi rejected repeated warnings to visit Taiwan.

In addition to its military display surrounding Taiwan, Beijing imposed sanctions on Nancy Pelosi, degraded military engagement with the United States, and banned cooperation on climate change concerns, among six other responses.

This week, Beijing also sanctioned Agne Vaiciukeviciute, Lithuania's deputy minister of transport and communications, for her recent "outrageous and provocative" travel to Taiwan.