A US aircraft carrier and its strike group headed for the South China Sea after calling at the port of Singapore amid rising tensions with China over a possible visit to Taiwan by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Reuters reported.

U.S. Navy Seventh Fleet officials have confirmed the deployment of the USS Ronald Reagan to a vital trade route.

"USS Ronald Reagan and her strike group are underway, operating in the South China Sea following a successful port visit to Singapore," Commander Hayley Sims said in a statement to Reuters.

Sims added the Reagan "is continuing normal, scheduled operations as part of her routine patrol in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific."

The diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing in connection with a possible visit of Pelosi to Taiwan is gaining momentum.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said he provided Pelosi with a security assessment in connection with her visit.

Tensions over Taiwan are expected to be discussed during the fifth telephone conversation between US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping, which could take place as early as Thursday.