US envoy to UN to visit Taiwan; China says playing with fire

Kelly Craft – A + A TAIPEI (Jan 8): The US ambassador to the United Nations, Kelly Craft, will visit Taiwan on Jan 13-15 for meetings with senior Taiwanese officials, the US mission to the UN said on Thursday, prompting China to warn they were playing with fire. Beijing, which claims the self-governed island as its own territory, has been angered by stepped-up support for Taiwan from the outgoing Trump administration, including trips to Taipei by top US officials, further straining Sino-US ties. Chinese fighter jets approached the island in August and September during the last two visits — by…