Taipei, Taiwan - A US lawmaker, who has been critical of China, arrived in Taiwan on Monday for talks with the island's senior leaders, Washington's de facto embassy in Taipei said.

Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon has spoken out against China's human rights record, introducing legislation against Beijing's "human rights abuse" of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang region and denouncing the government's response to pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-chair of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, Merkley's trip to Taiwan was "part of a larger visit to the Indo-Pacific region," the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement.

"The Senator will meet with senior Taiwan leaders and other counterparts to discuss US-Taiwan relations, regional security, trade and investment, and other significant issues of mutual interest," it said.

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Merkley will stay in Taiwan until November 27, the AIT said, without providing further details.

The US is Taiwan's most important backer and biggest supplier of weapons, but like most other countries, it does not have official diplomatic relations with the island.

Visits to Taiwan by foreign politicians often elicit an angry response from China, which claims the self-ruled island as part of its own territory.

Merkley's trip comes as Republican President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take office.

Taipei has publicly congratulated Trump on his victory, joining other governments around the world in trying to get onside with the Republican, whose diplomatic style is often transactional.