The U.S. State Department has approved the sale of two surplus Navy frigates to Taiwan, which has angered China. Reuters reports that, although Congress still needs to approve the sale, China has already lodged a protest about it. The Taiwanese Defense Ministry argued that the sale is part of an earlier deal, and so the protest is unnecessary. China usually protests arms sales to Taiwan, but this event will likely cause greater issues due to the current tensions in the South China Sea.
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