China threatened to impose sanctions on US arms firms and cut cooperation with Washington unless it cancels a $6.4bn arms sale to Taiwan, in an unprecedented move signalling Beijing's growing global power.

Although Beijing ritually protests US weapons sales to the island, it has not previously targeted the companies involved in the trade. Although the US restricts arms sales to China, a number of the companies that would supply systems involved in the new Taiwan package, which include Boeing, United Technologies, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, could face pressure in other business areas.

Boeing, in particular, has been counting on China sales of commercial aircraft in its battle with Airbus. Boeing, which warned on Friday that it expects revenue to fall this year, declined to comment on the Chinese threat. Beijing centrally manages aircraft purchasing and political factors have played a role in the past.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said Beijing would partially halt military exchange programmes and vice-ministerial talks on strategic security, arms control and anti-proliferation, scheduled to be held soon.

The US should “truly respect China's core interests and major concerns, and immediately rescind the mistaken decision ... in order to avoid damaging broader China-US relations”, Yang Jiechi, the Chinese foreign minister, was reported by the official Xinhua news service to have said while travelling in Cyprus.

Beijing summoned Jon Huntsman, the US ambassador to China after the arms sale announcement. Beijing has suspended military exchanges and other dialogues after past arms sale announcements as well.

The State Department this weekend defended the arms sale plan. “Such sales contribute to maintaining security and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” said Laura Tischler, a State Department spokeswoman.

The Obama administration on Friday said it had notified Congress of a plan to sell Taiwan 60 Black Hawk helicopters, worth $3.1bn, 114 Patriot missiles, worth $2.8bn, two Osprey mine-hunting ships and tracking equipment. The sale will proceed unless US lawmakers object within 30 days.