A group of U.S. congressmen arrived on an unannounced visit to Taiwan

Four members of the U.S. Congress arrived in Taiwan on a three-day unannounced visit Tuesday. This was reported Wednesday by the Taipei Times newspaper.

Republicans Brad Wenstrap and Michael Walz and Democrats Seth Moulton and Cai Cahill are expected to hold meetings with the island’s chief of staff Tsai Ing-wen, foreign policy chief Joseph Wu and National Security Council Secretary General Gu Lixun. They will discuss U.S.-Taiwan relations, trade and regional peace and stability.

As the newspaper notes, all four politicians actively support Taiwan in the U.S. Congress in adopting various legislative initiatives.

Tensions over Taiwan escalated sharply after U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei on August 2-3. The day after the visit, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army began large-scale military maneuvers with missile firing in six areas of Taiwan’s water area.

Following this, several more U.S. delegations, including senators and governors, visited the island. China considers such visits as provocations and interference in China’s internal affairs. Beijing views the island as an integral part of its territory. Washington remains Taipei’s main supplier of weapons and military equipment, as well as a major trade and economic partner.