US officials say China may fire missiles near Taiwan if top lawmaker Nancy Pelosi visits the island.
The White House has warned that China may respond to Nancy Pelosi's mooted visit to Taiwan with military provocations.
Mrs Pelosi, a senior figure in the Democratic Party, has long been a vocal critic of the Chinese leadership, denouncing its human rights record. She has previously met pro-democracy dissidents and visited Tiananmen Square to commemorate victims of the 1989 massacre. President Joe Biden has said the US military believes a Pelosi visit to Taiwan is "not a good idea right now".
Mr Kirby pointed out that Republican former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich had visited Taiwan in 1997, and that other US lawmakers visited Taiwan earlier this year.
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