Mr Ma (right) greeted Mr Chen at a government guesthouse in central Taipei amid tight security as rowdy anti-China protests continued outside the venue. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
TAIPEI - AS protesters battled police, Taiwan's leader shook hands and exchanged gifts on Thursday with the most senior Communist Chinese official to visit the island, declaring the envoy's trip a success but saying that major disputes still exist.
The historic meeting came five hours earlier than planned to avoid chaotic demonstrations by Taiwan independence groups that threatened to besiege capital. Hundreds of riot police shut down streets around the venue with barricades wrapped with barbed wire.
'Taiwan's sovereignty not hurt by China ties'
TAIPEI - TAIWANESE President Ma Ying-jeou said on Thursday that historic deals with China to draw the formerly bitter enemies closer economically do not compromise the island's sovereignty.
Amid widespread protests against business deals signed earlier this week that are potentially worth billions of dollars to the island, Mr Ma said Taiwan's position as a democratic and autonomous entity had not been compromised.
During the five-minute meeting, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou praised a landmark agreement signed by the rivals on Tuesday. The deal increases aviation and shipping links. It also included measures for better cooperation with food safety issues.
The two sides decided to hold high-level talks every six months and tackle financial issues in the next meeting.
But Mr Ma added, 'We can't deny that there still are differences and challenges, especially regarding Taiwan's security and international status.'
The two sides split when the Communists won a bloody civil war and took over the mainland in 1949. Beijing doesn't formally recognise Taiwan's democratically elected government and insists the island is a Chinese province that must unify eventually.
China has repeatedly threatened to use its massive military to force the Taiwanese to rejoin the mainland.
The Chinese envoy didn't give a speech and only uttered a couple remarks to Mr Ma as he presented the Taiwanese leader with a painting of a horse while they met in a government guesthouse. Chen Yunlin said the artwork was done by a famous painter.
'I offer this to you,' he said.
Mr Chen was careful not to address Mr Ma as 'president,' sticking to Beijing's policy of avoiding any terms or symbols that suggest Taiwan is an independent country.
This angered many of the hundreds of protesters who gathered in the streets around the meeting venue, blowing air horns and scuffling with riot police armed with shields.
After the meeting, the crowd marched to the Presidential Office, where police erected more barriers.
Protesters pushed over some of the metal structures while tossing stones and water bottles at a human wall of police. Some swarmed around a firetruck nearby, preventing police from using water cannons to disperse the crowd.
Angry crowds have dogged Mr Chen since he began his five-day visit Monday. Nearly a 1,000 demonstrators surrounded a hotel Wednesday where he attended a dinner banquet, trapping him in the building until well past midnight.
Protester Chang Bang-ni, a 45-year-old businesswoman, said the Chinese envoy snubbed Taiwan by not calling the island's leader 'president.' 'This shows that China is only treating Taiwan like a local government,' said Chang, who skipped work to protest.
Another protester, Ko Kai-liang, accused Mr Ma of embarrassing Taiwan by being too accommodating to the Chinese.
'Ma is sucking up to China by degrading Taiwan's sovereignty and this humiliates our country,' said Mr Ko, 40, who works for a chemical company.
But in a speech before the meeting, Mr Ma said Taiwan's sovereignty was unharmed because the two sides met as equal partners to sign an agreement that was mutually beneficial. He promised he wouldn't sacrifice Taiwan's political interests.
'Taiwan's future will be decided by its 23 million people,' Ma said. 'Of course, it will be decided by us. Who else can decide for us?' Lin Bing-chi, a hospital worker, said he supported the Chinese envoy's visit. 'It helps the two sides to understand each other better,' he said. 'It's not possible for the two sides not to have exchanges.' -- AP
