US: No reason for China to react to Taiwan leader stopover

By AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration is stressing to China unofficial stopovers to the U.S. by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen should not be used as pretext by Beijing to increase aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait. Recently, senior U.S. officials in Washington and Beijing have underscored to their Chinese counterparts transit visits through the U.S. during broader international travel by Tsai has been routine. Beijing sees American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent. Taiwan’s government said Tuesday that Tsai plans to stop in New York and Los Angeles. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said the planned stopovers are “business as usual” and consistent with longstanding U.S. policy.