Policemen stand guard outside the venue of the upcoming Taiwan and China cross strait meetings in Taichung December 21, 2009. Taiwan and China, political rivals for six decades, will discuss a free trade pact at formal talks on Tuesday amid protests planned by the island's opposition parties wary of deeper engagement with Beijing. Chiang of export-reliant Taiwan and Chen of economic powerhouse China will meet on Tuesday for a fourth round of talks on the proposed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), since ties began warming last year.
REUTERS/Nicky Loh (TAIWAN - Tags: POLITICS BUSINESS)