TAIPEI, TAIWAN - The US will continue maintaining its security cooperation agreement with Taiwan despite Beijing's call for it to cancel a planned arms sale to the island, its top envoy here said Friday.

"Under the Taiwan Relations Act and our long-standing practice, we will continue to cooperate with Taiwan to enhance its security and give it confidence to explore additional interactions with its large neighbour," said Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT).

His comment came after China urged the US to cancel a planned US$6.5 billion arms sale to Taiwan during this week's defence talks in Beijing, calling such deals "the greatest obstacle" to Sino-American relations.

"Let me make clear one point - we do not consult with Beijing on our security cooperation or our arms purchases from Taiwan," Young said in his last press conference in Taipei before his term ends in July.

"I think the Obama administration will calculate the request of our Taiwan friends ... and at an appropriate time will make a decision about what type of defence weapons to provide to Taiwan."

China briefly cut off military exchanges with the United States in October 2008 over the proposed deal, which would include advanced interceptor missiles, Apache helicopters and submarine-launched missiles.

The AIT has represented US interests in Taiwan since Washington switched its official diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979. Washington has been the island's leading arms supplier in accordance with
its Taiwan Relations Act.

The situation of Taiwan, a democratically-ruled island claimed by China, has long been one of the most sensitive issues in Sino-US relations.

Taiwan and the mainland have been governed separately since they split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but Beijing sees the island as part of its territory that is awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

Both sides have protectively stationed vast weaponry on their own sides of the Taiwan Strait.