China confident of safety for envoy's Taiwan visit

Envoy Chen Yunlin's last visit a year ago to the self-governing island claimed by China was marked by chaotic scenes as protesters clashed with police and laid siege to Chen's hotel in the capital, Taipei.

Safety concerns led to the cancellation of follow-up visits by other Chinese officials.

The Democratic Progressive Party, which favors Taiwan's formal independence from China, has warned of further protests when Chen visits the central city of Taichung next month for economic talks.

Yang Yi, spokesman for the Cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing, said China "hopes and believes that the Taiwan side will take effective measures to ensure security."

Commenting Wednesday in Taipei, senior negotiator with China Kao Koong-lian said the island's police authorities have made "comprehensive preparations" for the upcoming talks, and will allow protesters to hold demonstrations in a designated area close to the meeting venue.

At the meeting, the sides are expected to discuss issues related to a wide-ranging trade agreement that Taiwan hopes will be completed by the end of next year. Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou says the agreement will boost Taiwan's competitiveness by regularizing its trade with China and help the island avoid being marginalized.

Opponents of the agreement say it would undermine Taiwan's economy by opening it up too far to cheaper Chinese goods and labor. They say a deal is unreliable as long as China refuses to renounce its threat of using force to reclaim Taiwan, which split from the mainland amid civil war in 1949.

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