The United States is preparing to sell German-made submarines to Taiwan as part of its latest arms package. That's according to the US-based Foreign Policy magazine, which was quoted on the website of Hong-Kong newspaper Singtao on Sunday.

Foreign Policy reported that the United States may make an announcement on its latest arms deal to Taiwan before next Friday, when President Barack Obama will attend the UN Climate Change summit in Copenhagen. The package is not expected to include F-16C/D fighter jets but should include 60 Black Hawk helicopters.

News agency Reuters also quoted remarks by US state department official Robert Kovac that the United States would sell four Type 214 submarines to Taiwan. The Type 214 submarine is developed and built in Germany and is currently operated by navies including South Korea and Turkey. It features an Air-Independent Propulsion (AIP) system to run at reduced noise and avoid detection.