China may be “positioning” itself for a military show of strength around Taiwan, including missile launches, ahead of a possible visit by a senior US politician to the island, the White House said Monday. China “appears to be positioning itself to potentially take further steps in the coming days,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters. This “could include military provocations such as firing missiles in the Taiwan Strait or around Taiwan,” he said, also identifying “large scale air entry into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone” as a possible step.