By Musa Mdluli

MBABANE: China has slammed the latest round of United States arms sales to Taiwan, vowing to take “all necessary measures” to assert its sovereignty over the self-ruled island it claims as its own, Aljazeera reported on Sunday.

“The US State Department on Friday approved a $2bn arms sale package for Taiwan, including advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar as part of its efforts to counter China’s growing military power in the Asia Pacific”, reads the Aljazeera report.

It has been reported that, the administration of US President Joe Biden has made countering China’s increasing military and economic “assertiveness” in the region a key pillar of its foreign policy.

“The deal awaits approval by Congress. The equipment will be derived from US Air Force supplies.Taipei’s Defence Ministry on Saturday expressed its “sincere gratitude” for the sale, saying it would “help the military continue to improve its defence resilience and jointly maintain peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait”.Beijing’s Foreign Ministry hit back in a statement late on Saturday, saying the latest arms package “seriously violates China’s sovereignty and security interests, seriously damages China-US relations, and endangers peace and stability” in the strait”, the report states.