President Ma Ying-jeou says he will convey the public concerns about Taiwan's security and sovereignty when he meets China's envoy next week but promises police will bar violence by any protesters, the Associated Press reported.
Chen Yunlin will arrive Monday for talks on cementing closer economic ties, especially transport links. He is considered the highest ranking Chinese to visit Taiwan since the two sides split amid civil war in 1949.
The visit by the head of China's semiofficial Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait is seen as a direct result of Ma's efforts to improve ties and end decades of political rivalries since he took office in May.
But the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party plans to greet Chen with protests and sit-ins.