TAIPEI, Nov 6: Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou made history on Thursday when he met a senior Chinese official as tens of thousands of anti-Beijing protesters brought the island’s capital to a standstill.

The protesters, mostly supporters of independence for the island, crowded the plaza in front of the presidential office in central Taipei, honking horns and waving placards against the visit of Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin.

Mr Ma met Mr Chen, the most senior official from Beijing to visit Taiwan, for about five minutes in the morning.

It was the first meeting between a leader of Taiwan and a senior official from China.

Mr Chen arrived on Monday for a five-day visit, and the following day signed agreements with his local counterpart that move the former bitter rivals closer economically and could brings billions of dollars to Taiwan over the long term.

Both sides have been at pains to avoid any political issues, but many in Taiwan fear Ma’s policy of pursuing closer ties with China compromises the island’s autonomy.

“Taiwan, China. One country on each side (of the strait),” the demonstrators shouted as they waved colourful flags.

Some protesters scuffled with police as they tried to get past barbed wire barricades, and television said at least two men were arrested for allegedly attacking police.

Others threw eggs at the barricades and water bottles at police in riot gear carrying batons and wearing white helmets.

Organisers put the number of demonstrators at 100,000. Taipei police were unable to give a crowd estimate, but said some 3,000 officers were deployed to contain the masses.

The protesters were angry that Ma’s meeting with Chen had been moved forward by several hours, following scuffles outside a Taipei hotel late on Wednesday that trapped Chen inside until the wee hours of Thursday.

The protests reflect disquiet among a large section of Taiwan’s 23 million people about the long-term impact of moving closer to China.

A man who gave his surname as Lo, 52, echoed the fears of many ordinary Taiwanese that the deals will bring profit to big business, but see more jobs lost across the Taiwan Strait to China’s cheaper labour pool.

“They sell out Taiwan by signing the agreements. The agreements are not bringing any benefit to the people, only to business groups,” he said.

In a staged event broadcast live on television, Ma greeted Chen at a government guest house amid tight security.

They exchanged gifts, and Chen made a brief comment about the painting of a horse he presented to Ma; “ma” means horse in Chinese.

They avoided addressing each other formally, ensuring Chen did not have to choose between calling Ma “mister” or “president” -- a politically-loaded issue for both sides which do not formally recognise each other.

Ma, referring to the 60 years of hostilities between Beijing and Taipei, made a short speech in which he said the economic agreements “symbolise a major step forward for cross-strait ties”.

“We cannot deny that differences and challenges still exist, such as Taiwan’s security and Taiwan’s position in the international community.

“In the future, both sides should see the reality and should not deny each other’s existence in order to promote the welfare of the people and cross-strait peace and to resolve our differences,” he said.—AFP