TAIPEI - TAIWAN'S President Ma Ying-jeou on Wednesday named a former deputy leader as the most senior envoy in history to represent the island at a key regional economic summit in Peru.

Mr Lien Chan, vice president in the Kuomintang government from 1996-2000, will represent Taiwan at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum meeting in Lima, Peru, in November, the presidential office said.

Presidential office spokesman Wang Yu-chi told reporters the administration thought of Mr Lien as a 'man of considerable knowledge' who was well versed in world affairs.

Taiwanese presidents are barred from APEC summits due to objections by China which regards the island as part of its territory. They are usually represented by local senior economic advisers or business leaders.

Mr Wang declined to go into further detail about the decision to pick Lien.

But the China-friendly ruling Kuomintang (KMT) expected Beijing not to block Mr Lien's nomination as a goodwill gesture to Taipei.

Mr Lien in 2005 became the first KMT leader to visit the mainland in 56 years, meeting Chinese President Hu Jintao to formally end hostilities with the Chinese Communist Party.

The KMT fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war on the mainland to the communists. China still regards the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.

Taiwan's former pro-independence government of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in 2007 was forced to name a computer company founder to represent the island at the APEC summit after a former vice premier was reportedly blocked by Beijing.

Taiwan was forced to use the name Chinese Taipei when joining APEC in 1991 after Beijing insisted it had no right to join world bodies as a country.

China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949.

Relations have improved dramatically since Ma Ying-jeou came to power in Taipei promising to boost business and tourism links with China following eight years of strained relations under the DPP government. -- AFP