China lodges representations on media reports of US arms sales to Taiwan

China has lodged representations to the US State Department demanding the US give a full account after media reports said it authorized arms sales to Taiwan, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei told reporters during a daily press briefing on Friday.

"The US State Department said it has no plans to sell weapons to Taiwan, in the near term, and has not issued any official statements regarding arms sales," Hong said.

"I want to emphasize that China firmly opposes US arm sales to Taiwan, this opposition has been steady, clear and consistent," Hong added.

?According to a Reuters report, the US State Department authorized the sale of two surplus US navy frigates to Taiwan for $190 million on Thursday.