The State Department has announced a massive arms deal to Taiwan:

In a move bound to anger China, the United States intends to sell $6.4 billion in arms to Taiwan, the State Department said Friday.

State Department deputy spokesman Robert Wood said Congress — whose approval is needed for the deal to go through — was notified Friday afternoon. He indicated the administration expects congressional approval quickly.

The package includes a variety of U.S.-made weapons systems, including Patriot III anti-missile missiles, Apache attack helicopters, Harpoon missiles and Javelin anti-tank missiles.

The deal had been in the works for a few months, Wood said, and the decision is “consistent with U.S. policy of providing arms for defense of Taiwan and consistent with the Taiwan Relations Act.”

“This arms deal is a key factor in bringing security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” he added. The deal also gives Taiwan upgrades for Taiwan’s E-2T aircraft and spare parts for its air force.  [CNN]

It has been US policy for quite some time to keep an equal military balance of power between Taiwan and China in order to prevent either side from initiating a conflict.  The sale of the PAC-3 missiles I would assume to be in response to the fact China has advanced their missile capabilities to be able to target satellites in space much less Taiwan.