China firmly opposes any form of official exchanges between the United States and Taiwan, a spokesman for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office said on Thursday after the US State Department approved a possible arms sale to the island worth $180 million.

Office spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said, "We are firmly opposed to arms sales by the US to the island and any form of official exchanges such as military ties between the two."

The ruling Democratic Progressive Party authorities of Taiwan had repeatedly purchased US arms with the island taxpayers' hard-earned money, Ma said, which would only harm peace and stability across the Taiwan Straits and the interests of the people of Taiwan.