Taiwan on Wednesday vowed to protect Chinese envoys visiting this month after pro-independence protesters disrupted a delegation's visit last year but said demonstrations would be allowed.
The pledge came after Beijing called on Taipei to take "earnest" steps to safeguard the envoys attending the fourth round of talks since relations between the two former arch enemies thawed in mid-2008.
"Certainly, we'll do everything we can to ensure the safety of the mainland delegates", Maa Shaw-chang, spokesman for Taiwan's quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation, told AFP.
Last December Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin was blocked from leaving a hotel in Taipei by hundreds of pro-independence demonstrators protesting his visit.
Over 7,000 police were deployed to ensure his safety, according to officials, after his deputy Zhang Mingqing was jostled and knocked to the ground by anti-China protesters during a visit to Taiwan the previous month.
The coming talks have been tentatively set for December 21-23 in the city of Taichung, local media have reported.
Despite clashes between demonstrators and police deployed to maintain order last year, Maa said "an area near the negotiation venue will be designated so that protesters can voice their opinions freely."
The talks are likely to cover a trade agreement that could see unprecedented exchanges between the two sides, separated since the end of a civil war in 1949.
Beijing still considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back, by force if necessary.
However, ties have improved markedly since last year when the China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou became president of Taiwan.
Share This Article With Planet Earth
