The deal includes two Perry-class Frigates, Javelin anti-tank missiles, TOW 2B anti-tank missiles, AAV-7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles and a range of other military equipment.
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“China resolutely opposes the sale of weapons to Taiwan by the U.S.”, Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang said in a meeting with Washington’s second-highest ranking diplomat in Beijing.
China, which views Taiwan as part of its indivisible territory, has consistently opposed U.S.-Taiwan weapons sales and reiterated that stance Wednesday, summoning Deputy Mission Chief Kaye Lee of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, according to a statement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
McKeeby said the sale was in keeping with the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which commits the United States to providing sufficient weapons to maintain Taiwan’s ability to defend itself.
“This decision is consistent with both the legal requirements of the Taiwan Relations Act and our national interest in helping the democratic government in Taipei preserve stability across the Taiwan Strait”, he said.
The U.S. maintained there’s no need for it to hurt the relationship, which has also been strained by China’s island-building in the South China Sea and alleged cybertheft.
Zheng said that aside from going against worldwide law, the recent USA arms sale to Taiwan violates the principles in the three China-US joint communique, and interferes with China’s sovereignty and security concerns.
Although it has been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, China considers Taiwan a renegade province awaiting reunification.
“China threatened to impose sanctions on United States defence companies who were responsible for the sale the last time the USA announced an arms sale to Taiwan, but they didn’t follow through”, she said.
It comes as US-China relations fray over China’s construction of artificial islands in the South China sea, sparking fears of a rise in tensions in the disputed territory.
The US State Department said Raytheon and Lockheed Martin were the main contractors in the sales.
David McKeeby, a spokesperson for the US Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said that the arms sale does not violate global law.
“And because we are being consistent, there’s no other message that needs to be taken away from this, other than we take seriously our commitment to the defense needs of Taiwan”.
“It also highlights the fact that U.S.-Taiwan relations are indeed at their best ever”, the statement said. The Department of State’s notification to Congress of its plans met with jubilation in Taipei, which relies mostly on US support for defense against its much larger rival China.
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U.S. Republican lawmakers said on Wednesday they were pleased the administration had authorized the sale but called for a more regular process for such transactions.
