TAICHUNG: Tens of thousands of opposition demonstrators marched through the streets of the central Taiwanese city of Taichung today, ahead of the arrival of a senior Chinese envoy for five days of talks with local officials. Under a leaden gray sky, the demonstrators chanted pro-independence slogans and waved anti-China banners to protest the visit of China’s top Taiwan negotiator, Chen Yunlin, whom they view as a stalking horse for Beijing’s proclaimed policy of bringing Taiwan back into its fold. The sides split amid civil war in 1949. Chen was scheduled to arrive in Taichung tomorrow. He is set to sign four new commercial accords with Taiwanese officials, adding to the 10 already in the books. Protester Hsu Wen, a 55-year-old businessman from the southern city of Kaohsiung, said Chen’s visit would help pave the way for a loss of Taiwan’s hard-won democratic freedoms and its de facto independence. “It’s all very clear (China) wants to use the economy as a means to force us to unification,” Hsu said. Buoyed by a strong showing in local elections earlier this month, the Democratic Progressive Party sponsored today’s demonstration to press home its message that President Ma Ying-jeou’s signature policy of tightening economic links with Beijing is threatening the well-being of Taiwan’s people and paving the way for a Chinese takeover. Since assuming office in May 2008, Ma has eased cross-strait tensions to their lowest level in 60 years, turning his back on his predecessor Chen Shui-Bian’s pro-independence policies amid a welter of business-boosting initiatives. They include launching regular air and sea links between the sides and ending across-the-board restrictions on Chinese investment in Taiwan - precursors, Ma says, to a partial Taiwan-China trade agreement meant to be signed next year. Police put Sunday’s crowd in Taichung at 20,000-30,000. Some 500 officers were on hand to control the protesters, mindful that a visit by Chen late last year provoked repeated clashes between authorities and demonstrators. This time there were no reports of trouble. Taiwan’s powerful business community strongly favours Ma’s approach, seeing it as necessary to prevent the island’s economic marginalisation amid growing trade ties between Beijing and neighbouring Asian countries.