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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A weekend meeting between Republican U.S. Senator Ted Cruz and Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, has no bearing on U.S. policy on China, the White House said on Monday.

The meeting, during a Houston stopover by Tsai en route to Central America, was initiated by Cruz, a senator from Texas, and was not encouraged by the Obama administration, spokesman Josh Earnest said.

“The meeting doesn’t have any bearing whatsoever on our continued pursuit of a one-China policy that benefits the United States and Taiwan,” Earnest said at a news briefing.