diff --git a/src/compiler/commandLineParser.ts b/src/compiler/commandLineParser.ts
index 56767b9420b6b..d971da3ad6bff 100644
--- a/src/compiler/commandLineParser.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/commandLineParser.ts
@@ -234,9 +234,9 @@ namespace ts {
         {
             name: "jsx",
             type: createMapFromTemplate({
+                "react": JsxEmit.React,
                 "preserve": JsxEmit.Preserve,
                 "react-native": JsxEmit.ReactNative,
-                "react": JsxEmit.React
             }),
             affectsSourceFile: true,
             paramType: Diagnostics.KIND,
diff --git a/src/compiler/transformer.ts b/src/compiler/transformer.ts
index b78202e0c3d58..a5aa09a951006 100644
--- a/src/compiler/transformer.ts
+++ b/src/compiler/transformer.ts
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ namespace ts {
     }
 
     export function getTransformers(compilerOptions: CompilerOptions, customTransformers?: CustomTransformers) {
-        const jsx = compilerOptions.jsx;
+        const jsx = compilerOptions.jsx || JsxEmit.React;
+
         const languageVersion = getEmitScriptTarget(compilerOptions);
         const moduleKind = getEmitModuleKind(compilerOptions);
         const transformers: TransformerFactory<SourceFile | Bundle>[] = [];