The decision by the United States to sell arms to Taiwan was “wrong” and violated a consensus reached when Chinese President Xi Jinping met US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago in April, Beijing told Washington. 
 
 The announcement of the US$1.4 billion deal comes a week ahead of Xi’s planned meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. 
 
 China’s ambassador to Washington, Cui Tiankai, told reporters that China firmly opposed the deal. 
 
 “We have expressed firm opposition to the US and we will reserve our right to take further action,” Cui told reporters at an event in Washington to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover to China. 
 
 A statement issued later by the Chinese embassy in Washington DC criticised the move as a breach of the consensus reached between the two leaders ar their first ever meeting. 
 
 “The wrong move of the US side runs counter to the consensus reached by the two presidents in Mar-a-Lago and the positive development momentum of the China-US relationship,” its said. 
 
 The arms sales package was announced by a US State Department spokeswoman on Thursday. 
 
 It comprises seven items, including technical support for early warning radar, anti-radiation missiles, torpedoes and components for SM-2 missiles, Associated Press reported. 
 
 The US Congress had been notified of the sale, State Department spokeswoman, Heather Nauert, told a daily press briefing. 
 
 A US State Department official added in an email: “Today’s notifications are consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act and our support for Taiwan’s ability to maintain a sufficient self-defence capability. 
 
 “There is no change to our longstanding ‘one-China’ policy based on the Three Joint Communiques and the Taiwan Relations Act.” 
 
 The announcement came a day after the US Senate Armed Services Committee approved a bill that would allow regular stops by US naval vessels at Taiwan’s ports as part of an annual defence policy measure. 
 
 China responded to the bill with anger. “We are strongly concerned about and firmly opposed to the bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee,” Lu Kang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said on Thursday. 
 
 “The Taiwan question bears on China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and belongs to China’s domestic affairs,” Lu said. “We urge the US to honour its commitment on the Taiwan question, immediately stop military contact and arms sales to Taiwan and avoid causing damage to the bilateral relationship and bilateral cooperation in a broader range of areas.” 
 
 Taiwan soothed by US arms sales support after Panama picks Beijing over Taipei 
 
 China’s Defence Ministry spokesman Senior Colonel Wu Qian also condemned the move. 
 
 “We are always firmly opposed to any form of official contact and military interaction between Taiwan and the US. 
 
 “We urge the American side to abide by its commitment to the Chinese side with regard to the Taiwan issue and stop military contacts with Taiwan, so as not to cause damage to the relations between the two militaries and the two countries as well as to the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” Wu said in a press briefing. 
 
 Beijing considers Taiwan to be a breakaway Chinese province and tries to deter all countries from having formal ties with the island. US defence ties with Taiwan are a particularly sensitive issue. 
 
 Trump’s meeting with Xi at the G20 will be their second since the US president took office in January. The two met for a summit at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April, which set the course for a series of high-level dialogues. 
 
 The Taiwan Relations Act, which guarantees US support for the self-governing island’s defence capacity, was signed in 1979, shortly after the US switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. 
 
 Expedite Taiwan arms sales, US House committee urges Trump administration 
 
 “We are always aware that there are some negative things in our relationship”, Ambassador Cui said in Washington. “Our job is to make sure the positive development will be overwhelming, and we will continue to try the best to keep the relations on the right track.” 
 
 The last round of US arms sales to Taiwan was approved by Trump’s predecessor Barack Obama in 2015. The US sold about US$1.8 billion worth of equipment to Taiwan in that round, including frigates, missiles and amphibious assault vehicles, according to the Federal Register, a US government publication. 
 
 Every US president has approved arms sales to Taiwan since the Taiwan Act became law, starting with Jimmy Carter in his last year in office. ||||| (CNN) The US' decision to go ahead with the sale of a $1.4 billion arms package to Taiwan threatens to undermine US-Chinese relations, China's ambassador to Washington said. 
 
 Speaking to the People's Daily newspaper Thursday, Ambassador Cui Tiankai said recent US moves eroded the trust built when US President Donald Trump met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Florida in April. 
 
 "US arms sales to Taiwan and the sanctions against Chinese enterprises have damaged the basis and mutual trust between the two countries, it also contradicts the spirit and consensus of the two leaders' meeting in Mar A Lago," said Cui. 
 
 A statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that the sale of arms to Taiwan "grossly interferes" in China's domestic affairs. "The Chinese side has lodged serious representation to the US side, and reserves every right to take further action," read the statement. 
 
 On Thursday, the Trump administration notified Congress of its plans to go ahead with the controversial arms package, the first such sale under President Trump. 
 
 State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the agreement included "seven proposed defense sales for Taiwan," adding that the deal was valued at "about $1.42 billion." 
 
 A US official familiar with the deal told CNN that the package would include advanced missiles and torpedoes including the AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon and MK 48 6AT Heavy Weight Torpedoes. 
 
 It will also include technical support for an early warning radar system. 
 
 The Republican chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ed Royce, signaled strong support for the sale, calling it "long overdue" in a statement issued shortly after its announcement. 
 
 Congress has 30 days to raise any objections to the deal. 
 
 The announcement of the arms sale comes the same day the US Treasury Department announced a series of sanctions and measures that would among other things, sever US financial ties with China's Bank of Dandong, which the administration claims acts as a pipeline to support alleged illicit North Korean financial activity. 
 
 Both announcements came during Trump's meeting with South Korea's new president Moon Jae-in at the White House. Both leaders are anxious to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile program. 
 
 US relations with China 
 
 The unexpected timing of the deal -- which comes while Chinese President Xi is in Hong Kong commemorating the 20th anniversary of the city's return to China -- surprised many analysts. Zhang Baohui, professor of political science at Lingnan University, said until this week many high-profile Taiwanese had believed the US was moving away from them. 
 
 "(This arms deal) didn't go through for a while and some people suspected it was due to Trump's so-called reliance on China to resolve the North Korea issue ... so I think this arms sale could boost confidence (in US)," he said. 
 
 China considers self-governing democratic Taiwan a renegade province and Beijing has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its rule. 
 
 The US does not recognize Taiwan -- officially known as the Republic of China -- as an independent country, and adheres to the "one China" policy, which means it does not maintain an official relationship with Taiwan. 
 
 Nauert added that there was no change to the "one China" policy. 
 
 "Today's notifications are consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act, and our support for Taiwan's ability to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability," a US official familiar with the sale told CNN. 
 
 Under the Taiwan Relations Act the US is legally required to provide Taiwan with the ability to defend itself. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Trump makes call to Taiwan's President Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Trump makes call to Taiwan's President 01:24 
 
 In a move that seemed to portend a shift in US policy, President-elect Trump spoke to Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen i n a phone call in December , upending decades of diplomatic protocol. 
 
 However, the Trump administration has since said that it remains committed to the decades-long "one China" policy. 
 
 China has long criticized US arms sales to Taiwan. 
 
 Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said in a statement Friday morning they were "sincerely grateful" for the US decision to go ahead with the arms deal. 
 
 "The arms sale was proposed by our country last year. The package includes eight types of equipment and system, which will boost our combat capabilities in air and sea," the statement said. 
 
 The State Department also issued a statement marking the 20th anniversary of the transfer of Hong Kong from the UK to China, saying the US was "concerned about any infringements on civil liberties" in Hong Kong. 
 
 It is unknown how the announcements will impact on Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the meeting of the G20 next month. ||||| WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration formally notified Congress on Wednesday of a $1.83-billion arms sale package for Taiwan, including two frigates, anti-tank missiles, amphibious assault vehicles and other equipment, drawing an angry response from China. 
 
 AAV-P7A1 amphibious assault vehicles of the Taiwan Marine Corps are seen as part of a parade during Taiwan's National Day celebrations in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei October 10, 2011. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang 
 
 The authorization, which Reuters on Monday reported was imminent, came a year after Congress passed legislation approving the sale. It is the first such major arms sale to Taiwan in more than four years. 
 
 The White House said there was no change in the longstanding U.S. “one China” policy. Past U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan have attracted strong condemnation in China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province. 
 
 The White House said the authorization followed previous sales notifications by the administration totaling more than $12 billion under the Taiwan Relations Act. 
 
 “Our longstanding policy on arms sales to Taiwan has been consistent across six different U.S. administrations,” a National Security Council spokesman, Myles Caggins, said. “We remain committed to our one-China policy,” he added. 
 
 Although Washington does not recognize Taiwan as a separate state from China, it is committed under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensuring Taipei can maintain a credible defense. 
 
 The sales come at a period of heightened tension between the United States and China over the South China Sea, where Washington has been critical of China’s building of man-made islands to assert expansive territorial claims. 
 
 China summoned the U.S. charge d’affaires in Beijing, Kaye Lee, to protest and said it would impose sanctions on the companies involved, state news agency Xinhua reported. 
 
 “Taiwan is an inalienable part of China’s territory. China strongly opposes the U.S. arms sale to Taiwan,” Xinhua quoted Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, who summoned Lee, as saying. 
 
 Zheng said the sales went against international law and basic norms of international relations and “severely” harmed China’s sovereignty and security. 
 
 “To safeguard our national interests, China has decided to take necessary measures, including imposing sanctions against the companies involved in the arms sale,” Zheng said. 
 
 The U.S. State Department said Raytheon (RTN.N) and Lockheed Martin (LMT.N) were the main contractors in the sales. 
 
 Related Coverage China says no cooperation with U.S. firms selling Taiwan arms 
 
 It was not clear what impact sanctions might have on the companies, although in 2013, Lockheed Martin signed a pact with the Thailand-based Reignwood Group to build an offshore plant to supply energy for a luxury resort on Hainan island in southern China. 
 
 “U.S. companies participating in arms sales to Taiwan gravely harm China’s sovereignty and security interests,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said. 
 
 “China’s government and companies will not carry out cooperation and commercial dealings with these types of companies.” 
 
 However, previous Chinese sanction threats have not been followed up by Beijing. 
 
 China’s Defense Ministry said the sale would also inevitably affect military-to-military ties, but did not elaborate. 
 
 Taiwan’s defense ministry said the new weapons would be phased in over a number of years and would enable Taiwan to maintain and develop a credible defense. 
 
 U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said the decision was based solely on Taiwan’s defense needs. 
 
 “The Chinese can react to this as they see fit,” he said. “This is nothing new. ... There’s no need for it to have any derogatory effect on our relationship with China.” 
 
 Kirby said Washington wanted to work to establish a “better, more transparent more effective relationship” with China in the region and had been in contact with both Taiwan and China on this on Wednesday. He declined to elaborate. 
 
 David McKeeby, another State Department spokesman, said the arms package included two Perry-class guided-missile frigates; $57 million of Javelin anti-tank missiles made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin; $268 million of TOW 2B anti-tank missiles and $217 million of Stinger surface-to-air missiles made by Raytheon, and $375 million of AAV-7 Amphibious Assault Vehicles. 
 
 The State Department said the frigates were being offered as surplus items at a cost of $190 million. The package also includes $416 million of guns, upgrade kits, ammunition and support for Raytheon’s Close-in Weapons System. 
 
 Analysts and congressional sources believe the delay in the formal approval of the sales was due to the Obama administration’s desire to maintain stable working relations with China, an increasingly powerful strategic rival but also a vital economic partner as the world’s second-largest economy. 
 
 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. 
 
 John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said this would “avoid extended periods in which fear of upsetting the U.S.-China relationship may harm Taiwan’s defense capabilities.”
– The State Department announced Thursday that the US has reached a $1.4 billion arms deal with Taiwan; a source tells CNN it includes the sale of advanced missiles and torpedoes and technical support for early warning radar. Taiwan's Ministry of Defense said Friday it is "sincerely grateful" for the deal, "which will boost our combat capabilities in air and sea." But China is far less pleased. More: It's about protection: A US official tells CNN the deal shows "our support for Taiwan's ability to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability"—something the US is required to do under the Taiwan Relations Act signed in 1979. It's not unusual: The South China Morning Post notes every US president since Jimmy Carter has OKed arms sales to Taiwan. Former President Obama approved a $1.8 billion sale in 2015. Timing: This deal, however, comes at a "delicate time" in US-China relations, with tensions already high over North Korea, reports the AP. One China: A State Department rep says the US remains committed to its "one-China" policy, meaning it will not carry on an official relationship with Taiwan and does not consider it to be its own country. China views Taiwan as part of its territory. But China is peeved: The Chinese Embassy in Washington calls the deal a "wrong move" that "grossly interferes" in China's domestic affairs, per the Morning Post, adding China "reserves every right to take further action." What about Mar-a-Lago? China's ambassador to Washington adds the deal has "damaged the basis and mutual trust between the two countries" and "contradicts the spirit and consensus" of Trump's meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Mar-a-Lago in April, reports CNN. There's more: A rep for China's Foreign Ministry says the country is also "strongly concerned about and firmly opposed to" a new bill allowing US naval vessels to make routine stops at ports in Taiwan. Next up: The arms deal is likely to come up when Trump holds his second meeting with Xi at the G20 summit in Germany next week.