Both sides will seek to sign an agreement to open direct mail between Taiwan and China in the upcoming meeting, said Kao Koong lian, vice chairman of the Strait Exchange Foundation (SEF).

Direct mail is among the "three links" that have long been high on the agenda in cross-strait dialogue; the other two being direct trade and direct transportation.

Taiwan and China have had no official contact for almost six decades since they split in a civil war.

In the early 1990s, easing tensions allowed them set up semi-official bodies -- SEF on the Taiwan side, and the Association for the Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) on the China side -- to handle cross-strait ties on behalf of their respective governments.

Both sides have talked often about opening the three links, but political and economic implications behind the issue have stalled attempts to introduce the direct links.

The three links will also be on the agenda for an upcoming meeting between SEF Chairman P.K. Chiang and his China counterpart Chen Yunlin.

Yang Yi, head of China's cabinet-level Taiwan Affairs Office, said yesterday the Chiang-Chen meet will touch on sea voyages, charter cargo planes and week-day charter passenger flights across the Strait.

Fully direct mail will also be on the agenda, Yang said.

Kao later elaborated that SEF and ARATS will seek to sign an individual pact concerning direct mail, so that letters and packages from both sides will no longer have to be sent via Hong Kong or Japan.

Sea and air transportation between Taiwan and China currently still need to go through a third place, such as Hong Kong or Macau.

The so-called cross-strait charter passenger flights currently available during weekends still need to make detours before heading towards their destinations in Taiwan or China.

Kao explained that direct mail will only refer to services offered by post offices of both sides, while private express delivery companies will not be covered.

Taiwan's transport ministry pointed out that mail volume between Taiwan and China amounts to almost 10 million items per year.

When direct mail services are introduced, delivery will be cut short, and postage fees can be reduced as much as 50 percent.

The exact date for the arrival of the ARATS chairman has yet to be set amid threats of protesting against his presence in Taiwan by the pro-independence main opposition Democratic Progressive Party.

With the DPP planning a series of protests during Chen's stay, National Police Agency (NPA) Director General Wang Cho-chun told lawmakers yesterday the National Security Bureau (NSB) will be in charge of arrangements for the China envoy's safety.

The NPA will provide police to protect Chen and guard the hotel he will be staying and the venues for his activities, Wang said.

Kuomintang Legislator Lee Chia-chin said he is worried that DPP protests will create serious political repercussions.

SEF has suggested a few dates for Chen's arrival towards the end of October or in early November, the United Evening News reported.

But ARATS has not yet confirmed the date, the paper added.