Beijing, China - Officials in China have slammed the US after it announced a major arms sale to Taiwan worth approximately $2 billion.

Beijing vowed to take "all necessary measures" to assert its sovereignty over Taiwan after the US on Friday approved a major arms sale package.

According to China's state-owned news agency Xinhua, Zhu Fenglian, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, urged the US to stop arming Taiwan, which Beijing sees as a "separatist" entity.

"We firmly oppose US arms sales to China's Taiwan region, which has been our consistent and clear stance," Zhu said in response to a media inquiry.

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In a statement issued by China's foreign ministry in response to the $1.988 billion arms sale, Beijing warned that it could "seriously violate the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiqués, especially the August 17 Communiqué of 1982."

"The sales seriously undermine China’s sovereignty and security interests, harm China-US relations and peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and send a gravely wrong message to 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces," the statement read.

"China strongly condemns and firmly opposes this and has lodged serious protests with the US... We will take resolute countermeasures and take all measures necessary to firmly defend national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity."

The nearly $2 billion arms deal was announced by the US State Department on Friday, and will supply Taiwan with advanced surface-to-air missile systems and radar equipment.

The deal comes as part of the Biden administration's effort to counter growing Chinese "assertiveness" near Taiwan as well as in the South China Sea. It is pending approval by Congress.

In a statement issued by the Office of the President of Taiwan, a spokesperson in Taipei confirmed three military packages and affirmed the belief that Taiwan's self-defense capabilities as "the foundation for maintaining regional stability."

"Taiwan will continue to strengthen its self-defense capabilities as it works to maintain the rules-based international order, ensuring the peace, stability, and prosperity of the Indo-Pacific region."

The deal comes amid weeks of rapidly escalating tensions in the Taiwan Strait, which has seen Chinese forces encircle the island nation and conduct live-fire military drills off its south coast.