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TAIPEI : Taiwan urged calm Saturday ahead of the arrival of a top Chinese negotiator, as the island's main pro-independence opposition party said it would stage a three-day sit-in to protest the visit.
China's top negotiator on Taiwan, Chen Yunlin, is expected to arrive on Monday for talks on a range of subjects including establishing closer air and shipping links.
"We hope his first visit will be successful and smooth. We urge the public to be pragmatic and calm to show Taiwanese people's hospitality," said Kao Koong-lian, secretary-general of Taiwan's Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF).
Chen will hold talks with Chiang Ping-kun, the head of the SEF on Tuesday and he is also expected to meet top political and business leaders during his five-day stay, Kao said.
But the SEF was tight-lipped on when Chen will meet Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, only saying the matter "is being arranged."
Security is tight for the visit after Chen's deputy was attacked by pro-independence activists in a visit here last month. Around 7,000 police will be deployed.
The Democratic Progressive Party on Saturday unveiled plans for a three-day sit-in near the parliament in Taipei and a mass rally to protest Chen's visit.
Tens of thousands of DPP supporters took to the streets in Taipei late October to denounce President Ma's Beijing-friendly stance, in the biggest protest since he took office in May.
Relations with Beijing have improved dramatically since Ma came to power on a platform to boost trade ties with China, following eight years of strained relations under the DPP government.
China and Taiwan split in 1949 after a civil war, but Beijing still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
The latest talks follow Chiang's visit to Beijing in June in the first direct dialogue between the two sides in nearly 10 years, which led to agreements to launch regular direct flights and boost tourism.
Their respective organisations are authorised to handle civil exchanges between Taiwan and China in the absence of official contacts.
- AFP /ls
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