UPDATE 1-Taiwan says to buy miltary helicopters from Europe

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clipped from www.reuters.com * Up to 20 search-and-rescue choppers sought - Defense News * China has blasted U.S. over planned arms package to Taiwan TAIPEI, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Taiwan said on Friday it would buy military helicopters from a European manufacturer, a move that could ignite China's anger toward Europe following a storm over U.S. arms sales to the island that Beijing claims as its own. China has blasted the United States over a planned $6.4 billion arms package for Taiwan, saying it would place sanctions on U.S. firms that sell weapons to the self-ruled island that Beijing considers a breakaway province of China. [ID:nSGE6110AB] China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the Chinese civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing has vowed to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary. Taiwan seeks advanced foreign-made weapons to update its military, which lags China in the balance of power.

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