John McCain, the Republican presidential candidate, on Tuesday urged the Bush administration to reconsider a decision not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Taiwan.

The White House last week unveiled a proposal to sell $6.5bn (€4.8bn, £3.7bn) in arms, including Patriot missiles and Apache attack helicopters, to Taipei. While the move angered Beijing, the package did not include the F-16 Falcon fighter jet, sought by the Taiwanese, or submarines.