WASHINGTON, March 29 (Reuters) – The White House urged China on Wednesday not to use a “normal” stopover in the United States by the Taiwan 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.

Reporting by Nandita Bose and Steve Holland

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