BEIJING, Oct 7, SPA -- A $6.5 billion deal to sell U.S. arms to Taiwan has ruined years of work building military trustwith China, threatens Beijing's safety and ignores internationallaw, REUTERS quoted the sources of the Chinese Foreign Ministry as saying on Tuesday. The U.S. government on Friday announced plans to sell amassive arms package to Taiwan, including 30 Apache attackhelicopters and 330 Patriot missiles. The Pentagon's Defense Security Cooperation Agency toldlawmakers that the sale would support Taiwan's continuing effortsto modernise its military, but Beijing said the deal wasreckless, threatened national security and harmed a keydiplomatic relationship. "For many years we have made a positive effort to encourage,and strengthen military ties between China and the U.S.,"spokesman Qin Gang told a regular news conference. "But the United States ignored China's serious stance andstrong opposition, and is bent on selling weapons to Taiwan,which has contaminated the positive atmosphere for U.S.-Chinarelations." China's vice foreign minister, He Yafei, lodged a strongprotest against the deal at the U.S. Embassy last week. China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, whenMao Zedong's Communists won the Chinese civil war and ChiangKai-shek's Nationalists (KMT) fled to the island. Beijing has vowed in the past to bring Taiwan under its rule,by force if necessary. The United States switched diplomaticrecognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, recognising "oneChina", but it remains Taiwan's strongest ally and biggest armssupplier. The Pentagon said the arms sales were consistent with theTaiwan Relations Act, which obliges Washington to help Taipeidefend itself. --SPA www.spa.gov.sa/595798