The US announced on Wednesday that it had agreed a $1.83 billion arms sale to Taiwan, including two warships, surface to air missiles and amphibious assault vehicles.

China have summoned a senior US envoy in protest to the deal, with the Asian superpower’s Foreign Minister saying “China staunchly opposes America’s sale of arms to Taiwan. China urges the US … to cancel plans to sell arms to Taiwan and stop US-Taiwan military contacts to avoid causing further damage to Sino-US relations and bilateral cooperation in important areas.”

In a statement, China said Taiwan “is an inalienable part of China’s territory” adding that the deal had “severely damaged China’s sovereignty and security interest.”

Up until the 17th century Taiwan was inhabited by Taiwanese Aborigines. After colonisation by the Dutch and Spanish, Han Chinese started migrating to the island. The nation has since been at the centre of a power struggle between Japan and China, who have threatened a military response to any bid for independence and claim the territory as a province of the People’s Republic of China.