The US risks renewed friction with China after announcing that it intends to sell Taiwan an arms package worth $1.3bn (£888m). It includes 200 supersonic air to air missiles and military communications equipment. The Pentagon, which proposed the deal, says the sale will not affect the military balance in the region. China counters that such agreements constitute interference in internal Chinese affairs and might encourage Taiwan to press for independence.
A senior US defence official said the weapons would be kept in the US and delivered to Taiwan's air force only in the event of a threatened attack by China. Taiwanese pilots would be permitted to train with the missiles on US air force training ranges, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Taiwan split from the mainland after the communist revolution in 1949 and George W Bush, the Republican candidate for president, has said that he would back the island's independence.
"The move contains more political meaning as it demonstrates Washington's concerns over the island's defence needs," said Andrew Yang, secretary general of the Chinese Council of Advance Policy Studies, a private thinktank based in Taiwan.
China and the US are at odds over Washington's plans for a national missile defence system aimed at protecting America from so-called rogue countries. China is among those countries that claim that the system would revive the arms race, and President Bill Clinton has left his successor to decide on whether to proceed with the system, dubbed "son of star wars", after a number of tests failed.
Some Taiwanese military experts rate the missile deal as a breakthrough because it is the first time that Washington has agreed to sell such weapons to Taiwan. Congress has 30 days to raise objections, though it exercises this option only rarely.
The agreement covers 200 Aim-120C medium range air-to-air missiles that would beef up the punch of Taiwan's F-16 fighters, 71 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, 146 self-propelled howitzers, machine guns, night vision gear, radios and secure tactical communications systems.
The missiles would allow Taiwanese F-16 pilots to lock on Chinese fighters from a distance rather than engaging in dogfights. The Harpoons have an electronic system that makes it possible to hunt and destroy ships even in bad light.