The head of the US Senate armed services committee said Friday he was determined the United States and Taiwan remain "the best of friends", during a trip to the democratic island claimed by China.

Republican senators Roger Wicker and Deb Fischer arrived in Taipei on Friday for a two-day visit, as US President Donald Trump seeks to strike a trade deal with China -- which insists Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to use force to annex it.

Since Trump returned to the White House in January, there have been growing jitters in Taipei over the strength of the Taiwan-US relationship and Washington's willingness to defend the island if China were to attack.

Wicker, who chairs the powerful armed services committee and is a vocal supporter of Taiwan, said he and Fischer wanted to

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