The United States House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, has arrived in Taiwan, Tuesday evening, despite the serious warnings from China that have sent tensions between the world’s two superpowers.

Live television images have shown the 82-year-old lawmaker, who flew in on a US military aircraft into Taipei’s Songshan Airport, being greeted by Taiwan’s foreign minister Joseph Wu, while landing.

Pelosi, second in line to the Presidency, is the highest-profile elected US official to visit Taiwan in 25 years and Beijing has made clear that it regards her presence as a major provocation, setting the region on edge.

“Our delegation’s visit to Taiwan honors America’s unwavering commitment to supporting Taiwan’s vibrant Democracy,” Pelosi’s official Twitter account tweeted moments after she arrived.

She added her visit “in no way contradicts” US policy towards Taiwan and Beijing.

Pelosi is currently on a tour of Asia and while neither she nor her office confirmed the Taipei visit, multiple US and Taiwanese media outlets reported it was on the cards – triggering days of building anger from Beijing.

The People’s Liberation Army said it was on “high alert” and would “launch a series of targeted military actions in response” to the visit.