Post #150622

White House to China: Don't use Taiwan visit as 'pretext' The White House urged China on Wednesday not to use a "normal" stopover in the United States by Taiwan's president as a pretext to increase aggressive activity against Taiwan. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, told reporters that Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen's arrival soon in the United States is the latest in a series of routine transits. "The Peoples Republic of China should not use this transit as a pretext to step up any activity around the Taiwan strait," he said. "We're mindful that things are tense right now" between the United States and China, Kirby said, but he urged Beijing to keep lines of communication open. read more