BEIJING (Reuters) - 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.

U.S. 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 finalize sale details with U.S. companies.