China on Saturday protested US plans to sell arms worth 6.4 billion dollars to Taiwan, saying it would "seriously damage" cooperation between the two countries, dpa reported.
"The United States' announcement of the planned weapons sales to Taiwan will have a seriously negative impact on many important areas of exchanges and cooperation between the two countries," Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei said in a statement to the US ambassador to China.
He said the move violated the three joint communiques between China and the United States, particularly one in 1982 in which the US pledged to "gradually to reduce its sale of arms to Taiwan."
China temporarily cut off military ties with the United States after former president George W Bush's administration put forth a similar weapons package in 2008.
The Chinese government considers Taiwan a rogue province and has threatened to retake it by force. Under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, the US is required to support Taiwan in its defence. The US law coincided with Washington's decision to recognize China and switch diplomatic relations from Taipei to Beijing.