 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. “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. The State Department has... (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department has approved arms sales to Taiwan worth a total of $1.4 billion, the first such deal with the self-governing island since President Donald Trump took office, officials said Thursday. The sale to Taiwan comprises seven items, including technical support for early warning radar, anti-radiation missiles, torpedoes and components for SM-2 missiles, according to a U.S. official who requested anonymity to discuss the details before they were formally announced. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the Trump administration had notified Congress of its intent to approve seven proposed deals now valued at around $1.4 billion. 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. The sale will anger China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory. A statement released by the Chinese Embassy in Washington said that the sale of arms to Taiwan "grossly interferes" in China's domestic affairs. “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. China considers self-governing democratic Taiwan a renegade province and Beijing has not ruled out using military force to bring Taiwan under its rule. 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. 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. 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.
– 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.