US announces planned weapon sale to Taiwan

A Taiwanese navy frigate launches a Harpoon surface-to-surface missile during a training drill. The US has announced a new missile deal with Taiwan which is expected to inflame Sino-American tensions (Wally Santana/AP)

The Trump administration on Monday notified Congress of plans for a multi-billion dollar sale of Harpoon missile systems to Taiwan just hours after Beijing announced sanctions on US defence contractors.

The contractors included Boeing, the lead contractor on the Taiwan deal, which is worth 2.37 billion dollars (£1.82 billion).