The US State Department approved the potential sale, worth an estimated $US385 million ($A591 million), of spare parts and support for F-16 jets and radars to Taiwan, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The sale was announced hours before Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te left on a visit to Taipei's three diplomatic allies in the Pacific, with stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam.
Aloha, — 賴清德Lai Ching-te (@ChingteLai) #Hawaii! Grateful for the warm welcome by AIT managing director Ingrid Larson & @GovJoshGreenMD. Looking forward to meaningful conversations & connecting with friends old & new. https://t.co/YRCkPRhjRz pic.twitter.com/C7Akb5npABDecember 1, 2024
The sale sends "a wrong signal" to Taiwan independence forces and undermines US-China relations, China's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The ministry said in a separate statement that it firmly opposed any official exchanges between the US and Taiwan and "strongly condemns" the US for arranging the transit.
China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its territory and the most important issue in its relations with Washington, strongly dislikes Lai, calling him a "separatist".
The US is bound by law to provide Taiwan with the means to defend itself despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties between Washington and Taipei, to the constant anger of Beijing.
Taiwan rejects China's claims of sovereignty.
