Organisers say they expect half a million people to take to the streets of the capital Taipei to protest against China's continued claim of sovereignty over the self-ruled island.

If the numbers turn out as predicted, it would be the biggest rally since Ma's administration swept into power in May, ending the eight-year presidency of Chen Shui-bian whose independence rhetoric frequently angered Beijing.

"We hope to use this occasion to display our power," said Cheng Wen-tsang, spokesman for the main opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

"We want Chen Yunlin to know that he is not welcomed by Taiwan people," he said, referring to the Chinese negotiator whose planned visit here is bringing the protesters onto the streets.

Relations between Beijing and Taipei have warmed since Ma took office, and Chen Yunlin is due to hold talks on establishing closer shipping and air cargo links.

He is head of China's quasi-official Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, authorised by Beijing to handle civilian exchanges with Taipei in the absence of official contacts.

China and Taiwan split in 1949 at the end of a civil war, but China claims the island as part of its territory awaiting reunification and has threatened an invasion if it declares independence.

Government officials say Chen's itinerary has yet to be finalised but press reports here suggest the talks will be in Taipei later this month or early in November.

Trade and travel links between China and Taiwan have been severely limited since 1949, but talks in June led to the first regular direct flights between the island and the mainland in nearly six decades.

Nevertheless emotions still run high, and Chen's number two Zhang Mingqing was jostled and shoved to the ground by pro-independence activists during his visit to the island earlier this week.

John Chang, a ruling party parliamentarian, said Chen's visit would be the highest-level cross-Strait talks ever held here.

"If physical results can be reached here it would mark another milestone in the development of cross-Strait ties," he enthused.

A government survey last week of 1,085 people showed about 50 percent were positive about the visit, believing it would help Taipei further ease tensions with Beijing, relax trade, and make the island's democracy better understood.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said Chen's visit would not be cancelled because of the scuffles this week, although he admitted that "if I said the incident has not caused any negative impact on cross-Strait exchanges, nobody would believe that."

George Tsai, political science professor at Chinese Culture University in Taipei, agreed, pointing to China's response to the Zhang incident.

"Since Beijing has centred its condemnation on the small group of attackers rather than the Kuomintang government, cross-Strait exchanges are not expected to suffer a setback," he said.

Saturday's demonstrators will also be demanding that Beijing apologise to Taiwan for selling milk and other products tainted with the chemical melamine, normally used to manufacture plastics.

At least three children and one woman have fallen ill here after drinking tainted Chinese products, according to a local hospital, although the toll is far higher on the mainland where four infants have died.

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