The US Defense Department has approved the sale of upgraded missile equipment to Taiwan, a Taipei-based US official said Thursday, risking the ire of the island's rival China.

The sale of the Patriot missile equipment is part of a package passed by the US Congress more than a year ago, said a spokesman with the American Institute in Taiwan, the US de facto embassy in the absence of formal ties.

"The US Defense Department awarded Lockheed Martin Corp the contract to provide Patriot missile defence systems to Taiwan as part of a big arms deal approved by Congress in 2008," the spokesman told AFP.

The US Defense Department said in a statement posted on its website Wednesday the contract for Lockheed Martin involved "basic missile tooling upgrades".

Analysts predicted the sale would get a chilly reception in China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and wants it back even if it means war.

"Sino-US ties are likely to be impacted, because even though Taiwan clearly wants the weapons, Washington could have said 'no' to Taipei," said Alexander Huang, a political scientist at Taipei's Tamkang University.

"Some people in Beijing will certainly feel unhappy about the deal. They may say it was only about two months ago that the two sides agreed to beef up military exchanges," he said.

When US President Barack Obama visited Beijing in November, the United States and China vowed to take "concrete steps to advance sustained and reliable military-to-military relations in the future".

The Defense Department's announcement followed close on the heels of a warning from China not to sell arms to Taiwan.

"We urge the US to recognise the gravity of selling arms to Taiwan. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told reporters Tuesday, saying Beijing has had "serious consultations" with Washington on the issue.

"(The US should) cancel any plans to sell arms to Taiwan and stop selling arms to Taiwan so as not to damage China-US relations."

The Pentagon in October 2008 notified Congress of 6.5 billion dollars in arms sales to Taiwan, triggering stern condemnation from China.

The package included 330 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) missiles worth up to 3.1 billion dollars.

The contract now awarded by Pentagon, which totals 968.7 million dollars and also covers deals not involving Taiwan, appears to be for only part of the missile sale announced in 2008.

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