Taiwan's leader Ma Ying-jeou challenged Chinese President Xi Jinping over missiles trained on the island and complained about its international isolation at their landmark summit Saturday.

The two presidents shook hands and exchanged warm words at the historic meeting -- the first since the two sides' traumatic 1949 split.

No agreements appear to have been reached between two sides that still refuse to formally recognise each other's legitimacy.

But Ma was keen to emphasise that he had raised some of the most pressing China-related issues for the Taiwanese electorate as the popularity of his ruling Kuomintang plummets, partly over his Beijing-friendly policy.

In a press briefing after his hour-long meeting with Xi, Ma said he had challenged him over Chinese missiles -- Taiwan's defence ministry says the mainland has 1,500 trained on the island.

"I told Mr Xi one of the major concerns is the Chinese military deployment on the opposite side of the Taiwan Strait, but Mr Xi replied that those are not targeting Taiwan," Ma told reporters.

"This was the first time such issues were talked about between leaders of the two sides, at least I raised the issues, telling him Taiwan people were concerned about this, and I hope he would pay heed to this."

Ma also argued the island should be brought in from the cold internationally.

Only 22 states formally recognise Taiwan, as an ascendant Beijing is now much more widely seen as China's seat of power.

Taiwan lost its United Nations seat to China in 1971 and has been unable to join other international organisations due to Chinese opposition.

"We want him to know we have been very concerned about this issue," said Ma.

"There should not be an issue over priority -- if both sides can attend, each one of us will benefit."

- Public backlash -

But analysts said the comments were unlikely to have much impact back home.

"Ma would have known in advance he would not get any substantial concessions from Xi on those issues but he had to do it... otherwise, he could hardly tell his country people that he had done his best in the meeting," said George Tsai, political science professor at the Chinese Culture University in Taipei.

In addition he did not stand up to Xi's response over the missiles, says Jonathan Sullivan, Associate Professor at the University of Nottingham's School of Contemporary Chinese Studies.

"Xi replied that the missiles were not directed at Taiwan. This is clearly ludicrous, but Ma did not challenge him on it. This point was the single most jarring moment for me," Sullivan said.

Hundreds of protesters rallied outside the presidential office in Taipei during the summit voicing their anger that Ma was courting what they called the "enemy".

The overwhelming tone of solidarity was likely to outweigh Ma's attempts to raise issues, analysts said.

"He voiced solidarity with Xi hoping that they could work together to make possible the great renaissance of Chinese people," said Tsai.

"I was surprised he said this under Taiwan's current political circumstances. He may meet severe backlash from the opponents."

The China-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is already tipped to win presidential elections in January with the summit seen as a bid by China to boost the KMT ahead of a possible rout.

"In the end it was just a photo opportunity," said Nathan Batto, assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica's Institute of Political Science.

"It probably won't really change the elections very much."

Hundreds protest in Taiwan over summit with 'enemy' China
Taipei (AFP) Nov 7, 2015 - Hundreds of angry protesters massed outside Taiwan President Ma Ying-Jeou's office Saturday, condemning his warm exchange with China's leader in a summit that has fuelled fears the democratic island will be swallowed up by its giant rival.

The talks have been hailed as a historic opportunity to end decades of hostility between the two sides which split after a civil war, but there has been a backlash among Taiwanese suspicious over Ma's rapprochement policy.

Angry demonstrators tried to storm parliament overnight and 27 were arrested at the airport Saturday as Ma headed to a summit his opponents say is a sell-out to Beijing which is bent on expanding its influence.

Later, up to 500 protesters, representing an array of groups including farmers, rights activists and environmentalists, raged over the cordial get-together at a Singapore hotel where Ma told China's leader Xi Jinping that they already "feel like old friends".

"How can he... without any negotiation go to meet with the leader of our enemy? I believe this is getting to the level of treason," said Lin Hsiu-hsin, vice chairman of the Taiwan Association of University Professors.

Protest leaders were infuriated by Xi's comments that the two sides are "a family" that can never be divided -- a reference to the mainland's unchanging position that Taiwan is a breakaway province awaiting reunification.

"Xi Jinping said we belong to one China. Can you accept it?" Lee Ken-cheng from the Beijing-sceptic environmentalist Green Party bellowed to the crowd.

"No!" they roared back.

- Suspicion over motives -

Ties with China have blossomed under Ma, a lame-duck leader as presidential elections loom in January, but the economy remains in the doldrums and critics say a raft of trade deals has benefited only big business, not ordinary Taiwanese.

There are deep suspicions over the reasons for the summit, declared less than a week ago, and fears a meddling China is trying to secure another victory for Ma's Kuomintang party which is lagging badly in the polls.

"We are worried they may sign some secret agreement. This president with only nine percent popular support doesn't represent us. We are afraid of being part of China," said Peggy Wu, a 28-year-old researcher.

In an island with a strong sense of its own identity, Wu was among those furious over the summit protocol. The two leaders were to address each other as "mister" instead of "president" in a nod to the fact that neither formally recognises the other.

"China doesn't see us as an independent nation. Their positions are unequal. We should be addressed as president, not mister," she said, holding a handmade sign declaring "Go to hell, 'One-China' policy."

- Singapore detentions -

In Singapore, there were also reports that three members of the anti-China Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) were escorted by police from a hostel.

A TSU spokesman in Taipei said legislative candidate Hsiao Ya-tan was "taken away by police" along with two of her assistants.

Police in Singapore -- a city-state where public protests are banned -- said they were interviewing five Taiwanese nationals amid a security clampdown at the summit venue but did not say if they were the same group.

At Taipei's Songshan airport where Ma gave a brief address to reporters before boarding his flight Saturday, protesters tried to burn images of the two leaders with slogans calling Xi "Chinese dictator" and Ma a "traitor".

The 27 were arrested after they attempted to push their way through a guarded side gate.

They included student leader Chen Wei-ting, a key figure in last year's Sunflower Movement which occupied parliament for almost a month over a controversial trade pact with China.

Television footage showed Chen dragged into a police van while officers with riot shields scuffled with protesters.