U.S. urges China not to overreact to Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan

U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrives at Yokota U.S. Air Force Base in Fussa, on the outskirts of Tokyo, Japan August 4, 2022. REUTERS/Issei Kato

The United States urged China not to overreact to U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan after Beijing deployed planes and fired live missiles near Taiwan, some of which Japan said appeared to land in its economic zone.

“We’re watching this closely. We continue to urge the Chinese not to overreact here. There’s no reason to react the way that they have or to escalate the tensions,” White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told MSNBC.

He urged China to “bring down the tensions, just like we are doing,” adding: “We’re not saber rattling. Bring down the tensions and work through this so that there’s no change in the status quo of a unilateral or forceful nature.”