Ignoring strong opposition from Beijing, the Obama administration on January 29 announced plans to sell advanced weapons to Taiwan.

Huang Xueping, Spokesman of Ministry of National Defense, said, "The Taiwan issue is directly linked to China's core interests. We will never make concessions over our sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The arms sale will include 114 Patriot (PAC-3) anti-missile systems, 60 UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters, 12 Harpoon Block II Telemetry missiles, 2 Osprey Class mine hunting ships and enhancements to command and control systems, according to a Pentagon website.

China expressed its "strong indignation" about the US$6.4 billion sale immediately after the U.S. government announced its decision to the U.S. Congress.