Two Perry-class guided-missile frigates, Javelin anti-tank missiles, TOW 2B anti-tank missiles, Stinger surface-to-air missiles, AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles and … a partridge in a pear tree.

That’s the Christmastime gift the Obama administration announced — formally — to Congress Wednesday that it’s giving to Taiwan. It’s an arms package that totals $1.83 billion and guess what?

China is not happy at all about it.

This from Reuters:

The authorization … was imminent, came a year after Congress passed legislation approving the sale. It is the first such major arms sale to Taiwan in more than four years.

The White House said there was no change in the longstanding U.S. “one China” policy. Past U.S. weapons sales to Taiwan have attracted strong condemnation in China, which considers Taiwan a renegade province.

The White House said the authorization followed previous sales notifications by the administration totaling more than $12 billion under the Taiwan Relations Act.

“Our longstanding policy on arms sales to Taiwan has been consistent across six different U.S. administrations,” a National Security Council spokesman, Myles Caggins, said. “We remain committed to our one-China policy,” he added.

They say you learn something every day. Or you should (something like that).

You may chalk up the following as one of those “things” (we did), because it’s kind of strange (via Reuters once again):

Although Washington does not recognize Taiwan as a separate state from China, it is committed under the Taiwan Relations Act to ensuring Taipei can maintain a credible defense.

China, more specifically their Vice Foreign Minister Zheng Zeguang, said the deal went against international law and “severely” endangered his country’s sovereignty.

“To safeguard our national interests, China has decided to take necessary measures, including imposing sanctions against the companies involved in the arms sales,” he said.

If any American entity is to feel the brunt of the economic punishment, it’s the two corporations involved in the transaction, the usual suspects of Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

It should be noted that China does have a history of making empty threats when it comes to commerce.

John Kirby, the U.S. State Department spokesman, downplayed the entire thing.

“The Chinese can react to this as they see fit,” he said. “This is nothing new … there’s no need for it to have derogatory effect on our relationship with China.”