Kelly Craft, United States Ambassador to the United Nations arrives at the United Nations Sept 22, 2020 for the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations which will be mostly virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York. (TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

NEW YORK - The cancellation of all travel by the US State Department this week includes a planned visit to Taiwan by US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft, said a State Department spokesperson on Tuesday.

READ MORE: China mission opposes planned Taiwan visit by US' UN envoy

Craft had been due to visit Taiwan from Wednesday to Friday, prompting China to warn that Washington was playing with fire. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday that all travel this week had been cancelled, including a trip by him to Europe, as part of the transition to the incoming Biden administration.

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China had said it was firmly opposed to the visit. A representative of China’s mission to the United Nations in New York urged Washington to stop “creating obstacles” for the relationship between China and the United States. “It’s time that the crazy, irrational behaviors of certain people come to a stop,” the Chinese representative said.