Two stops on the itinerary of China’s top Taiwan policy official, Zhang Zhijun, have been canceled.
Taiwan’s Mainland Affairs Council made the announcement early Saturday, after Zhang’s entourage had a close encounter with protesters.
Zhang arrived Wednesday on an unprecedented visit. He is the first ministerial-level Chinese official to visit Taiwan. Since his arrival, Zhang has been greeted by protesters almost wherever he goes. On his way to an informal meeting with his Taiwanese counterpart on Friday, some members of Zhang’s security detail were splattered with white paint as demonstrators shouted anti-Chinese slogans. Some of the protestors also threw ghost money towards the visitors as a sign of insult. Zhang appeared unaffected but the paint hit several members of the security personnel.
On Saturday Zhang visited a school for visually impaired students in the central city of Taichung and called on the city’s mayor Jason Hu. Security has been tightened to avoid confrontation.
China claims Taiwan as part of its territory, even though the two sides have been ruled separately for more than 60 years. China also has more than 1,000 missiles that target Taiwan.