Chen Yunlin, the head of China's quasi-official Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, is scheduled to fly to the island Monday for the sixth round of talks since 2008.

"We will follow him every step of the way," said Chien Sheng-che, from "Taiwan Republic", one of ten organisations pledging to take part in the demonstrations.

"We want to show him that Taiwan is Taiwan, and China is China. They are two separate countries," he told AFP, speaking in the Taiwanese dialect that sometimes is used on the island to signal a separate identity.

Meanwhile, the island's major anti-China opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said it has no plans to mobilise supporters to protest during Chen's visit.

"But we'll keep a close eye on what agreements are signed, to make sure that no national interest is betrayed," DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang said.

No police officials were immediately available to comment on the number of officers to be deployed for the coming negotiations.

When Chen visited Taiwan in late 2008 he was confined to his hotel for much of the trip due to chaotic street demonstrations outside.

Chen is scheduled to hold talks with his Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Pin-kung on Tuesday and depart the following day, officials said.

At the centre of the talks will be epidemic control measures and joint research and development of medicines, herbal medicines and emergency treatment.

Chen will also meet Lai Shin-yuan, the chairperson of the island's major China policy decision-making body, the Mainland Affairs Council.

Ties have improved markedly since Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou took office in 2008, with the two sides resuming routine high-level direct unofficial talks and adopting various measures to boost trade and tourism.

Taipei and Beijing forged a comprehensive trade pact in June, known as the "Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement" (ECFA), that marked the culmination of Ma's China-friendly policies.

The association headed by Chen is in charge of civil exchanges with the island in the absence of official contacts.

earlier related report
Taiwan archive chief quits over Mao, Deng poll controversy
Taipei (AFP) Dec 16, 2010 - The head of Taiwan's historical archive has resigned after an outcry when Chinese Communist leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping were included in an online poll of influential figures, officials said Thursday.

Lin Man-houng, the curator of the state history archive Academia Historica, tendered her resignation late Wednesday night, the Presidential Office said.

"Lin said she felt very uncomfortable about the controversy and would like to take political responsibility," said Lo Chih-chiang, spokesman for the office.

The museum touched off criticism this month when it launched the online poll of the 100 most influential historical figures in modern Chinese and Taiwanese history, including Mao and Deng.

Vice Defence Minister Chaou Shih-chang expressed concerns in parliament that it was "improper" to include Deng in the poll, and shortly afterwards the museum removed both Mao and Deng from the survey.

Before their removal, Deng had ranked number one in the military category while Mao was number three in the running for top political leader, ahead of his Kuomintang (KMT) party arch-rival Chiang Kai-shek, local media said.

Both Deng and Mao spent years fighting the KMT on the mainland, in one of the bloodiest civil wars in history, eventually forcing the party to evacuate to Taiwan in 1949.

The poll is part of a series of activities celebrating next year's centennial of the founding of the Republic of China, Taiwan's formal title.

Beijing still considers Taiwan part of its territory awaiting reunification, even though the island has ruled itself for more than six decades.

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