China 'dissatisfied' over US military assistance to Taiwan
China-Taiwan-drills
China on Tuesday expressed dissatisfaction and said it had lodged stern representations with the United States after the State Department approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for military aircraft worth up to $330 million.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a daily news briefing in Beijing.
US military sales to self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, are an irritant in ties between the world's two largest economies.
Taiwan would still need to finalise sale details with US companies.
The US State Department had approved the possible sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million, the Pentagon had said on Monday.
The approval covers a request for spare parts for "F-16, C-130, F-5, Indigenous Defense Fighter (IDF), all other aircraft systems and subsystems, and other related elements of logistics and program support," the Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement.
"This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security and defensive capability of the recipient, which has been and continues to be an important force for political stability, military balance, and economic progress in the region," it said.