Beijing threatens response to US deal

capabilities against longrange ballistic missiles,’’ he said.

The defence ministry added that China’s ‘‘provocative’’ activities represent a serious threat and that the arms sale would help it face China’s military pressure.

The announcement follows China’s aggressive military drills around Taiwan last month, when it said it had fired ballistic missiles over the capital Taipei, in response to US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to the island. Pelosi was the highest-ranking US official to travel to Taipei in years.

Since then, China has continued its drills, including regularly breaching the median line of the Taiwan Strait – an unofficial barrier between the two sides – which analysts say is an attempt to rewrite the status quo. Two Chinese fighter jets crossed the line again yesterday.

A few days earlier, Taiwanese forces shot down a suspected Chinese drone that entered its airspace amid a sudden spate of incursions that have unnerved the island.

‘‘As the PRC continues to increase pressure on Taiwan – including through heightened military air and maritime presence around Taiwan – and engages in attempts to change the status quo in the Taiwan Strait, we’re providing Taiwan with what it needs to maintain its selfdefence capabilities,’’ Laura Rosenberger, the White House senior director for China and Taiwan, said in a statement.

The arms sale is not believed to offer new capabilities to Taiwan.

It includes Sidewinder missiles, which can be used for air-to-air and surface-attack missions, and Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which could be used to track and sink incoming vessels if China launches an assault by water.

The biggest piece of the package is support to maintain and upgrade Taiwan’s surveillance radar system, which provides an early warning of any incoming attack.

The package must still be reviewed by Congress before it can go ahead, but it is not expected to face opposition, with strong bipartisan support for Taiwan. – Telegraph Group