The United States announced Friday its intention to go ahead with a deal to sell more than $6 billion in weaponry to Taiwan, the Associated Press reported. China, which claims authority over the autonomous island state, quickly made its displeasure known.

The weapons deal includes the sale of 114 Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missiles as well as helicopters and information technology systems. Congress has a month to comment on the sale before it moves further. Lawmakers in the past have given their support to weapons deals with Taiwan.

China intends to issue a formal complaint in the matter, according to a spokesman for the nation's embassy in Washington.

Beijing also expressed its anger by halting plans for high-level military exchanges with Washington and by levying sanctions on the U.S. companies selling arms to Taiwan, the Wall Street Journal reported.

On Saturday, U.S. Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman was told at a meeting with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister He Yafei that the weapons sale "constitutes a gross intervention into China's internal affairs" and that Beijing was "extremely indignant," according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

Taiwan has long been a thorny issue for U.S.-China relations as Washington is legally obligated to provide the island with defenses. Beijing last broke off military exchanges in 2008 following another weapons sale to Taipei.

The Chinese government said the halting of military exchanges would impact senior-level meetings on nonproliferation, arms control and strategic security that were expected to occur soon.

In spite of Beijing's public anger, Obama officials do not think there are many military risks to the sale, especially since it did not contain any F-16s fighter jets sought by Taiwan.

Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, who has advocated improved relations with China, said the weapons deal would actually improve his country's relationship with Beijing.

"With these weapons, we could guard Taiwan more confidently. This will be also helpful for the further development of the cross-strait relationships," Ma said.

Taipei's National Defense Ministry said in a statement the deal "would enable Taiwan to be more confident in seeking reconciliation with China and help peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait".

U.S. Assistant Defense Secretary Wallace Gregson said while the United States would like to have friendly relations with China, it would not ignore its obligations to Taipei, Reuters reported.

"The United States is also obligated to ensure Taiwan's self-defense capability and the United States fully intends to meet every one of our obligations there and we will continue to do so into the future," Gregson said in Tokyo.

Beijing has had knowledge of the weapons sale for months, U.S. officials told the Washington Post. This has led to puzzlement over whether the country's harsh rhetoric reflects a change in foreign posture as well as tone. "There has been a change in China's attitude," former National Security Council official Kenneth Lieberthal said. "The Chinese find with startling speed that people have come to view them as a major global player. And that has fed a sense of confidence".

Taiwan-based analyst Alexander Huang said Beijing leaders were aware that changing the United States' stance on weapon sales to Taiwan would be difficult, the Journal reported. "There will be some impact in [the] short term, but none of these would go beyond military issues," Huang said.

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