Hagåtña, Guam - Taiwan President Lai Ching-te spoke Thursday to Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson during a visit to the US territory of Guam that is part of a Pacific tour angering China.

Taiwan calls itself a sovereign nation, but Beijing insists the democratic island is part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges with it.

Lai's conversation with Johnson is the most high-level US contact the Taiwanese leader has had during his Pacific tour.

A 2022 visit to Taiwan by then US House speaker Nancy Pelosi prompted China to launch military drills around the self-ruled island.

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The president also had calls with Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senator Roger Wicker, the top Republican on the Armed Services Committee.

They "conveyed the strong bipartisan support of the US Congress in assisting Taiwan in defending democracy and freedom," the president's office said.

Like most countries, the US does not have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but Washington is Taipei's most important backer and biggest supplier of arms.

Lai's Pacific trip, and in particular his US stops, have drawn a barrage of criticism from Beijing, which rejects any international recognition of Taiwan.

Beijing on Thursday urged the US to "stop sending wrong signals" following the Lai-Johnson call.

"We urge the United States to clearly recognize the serious danger that separatist acts of Taiwan independence pose to peace and security across the Taiwan Strait," a foreign ministry spokesperson said.

During a two-day visit to Hawaii at the beginning of the tour, Lai discussed "China's military threats" towards Taiwan in a 20-minute call with Pelosi and met with US government officials and members of Congress.

The 65-year-old arrived in Guam on Wednesday, following visits to Pacific island nations Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands – two of only 12 nations that still recongize Taiwan diplomatically.

Speaking at a banquet in the capital Hagåtña on Thursday, Lai hailed the "rock solid partnership" between Taiwan and the US.

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"Together, we are good partners in defending democracy, freedom, and prosperity for both sides," Lai told an audience that included Guam Governor Lou Leon Guerrero.

Ingrid Larson, from the Washington office of the American Institute in Taiwan, which serves as a de facto US embassy to the island, also attended.

Lai also called on the world's democracies to "not bow down to authoritarian regimes" as he hailed Taiwan as "the beacon of democracy of Asia."

At the banquet, Larson said the US would keep helping Taiwan "bolster its self-defense capabilities" and its "ability to protect itself against coercion."