Democratic Progressive Party Chairman Tsai Ing-wen's comments came after a series of opposition protests during a five-day visit by Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin that ended on Friday. Many protesters said they feared Mr Chen's visit could bring Taiwan too close to China.

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949. China continues to claim Taiwan as part of its territory and threatens to attack if the island moves to formalise its de facto independence.

Ms Tsai told reporters that if she met with Mr Chen, she would relay to him Taiwan's determination to remain sovereign. She said she already told President Ma Ying-jeou that Taiwan is a sovereign state and that the island's future should be collectively decided by its 23 million people.

'I am not opposed to meeting Mr Chen,' she said. 'I will tell him what we tried to tell President Ma.'

Mr Chen's visit is considered the climax of Mr Ma's efforts since his inauguration in May to smooth tensions across the 160-kilometre-wide Taiwan Strait that separates the two longtime rivals.

Mr Chen is the most senior Chinese official to visit Taiwan since the 1949 split. During the trip, he avoided thorny political issues and focused on economic ties.

He signed agreements with Taiwanese officials to establish shipping links across the strait and triple the number of flights between the rivals. -- AP