Sanctions
In January of 2010 China imposed sanctions against military exchanges with the United States as suppliers of arms to Taiwan. Beijing warned Washington that its $6.3 billion dollar deal to sell arms to Taiwan could impair relations that are already damaged against China's pressuring for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear problem. Although Taiwan has had an independent government since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, China still considers the island to be part of its territory.