DHAKA: Chinese President Xi Jinping and Taiwan's President Ma Ying-jeou are set to hold historic talks in Singapore.

It is the first time since the Chinese Civil War ended in 1949 that the leaders from both sides have met, reports the BBC.

China views Taiwan as a breakaway province, which will one day be reunited with the mainland, by force if needed.

There were protests in Taipei and one group tried to enter Taiwan's parliament building. There were arrests at the city's airport.

The arrests came as Ma Ying-jeou left for Singapore on Saturday morning. Protesters tried to set fire of images of him and Xi Jinping.

"As a president who doesn't represent public opinion, Ma Ying-jeou doesn't have the right to meet with the leader across the strait," one man, Chen, said.

A small group supporting Ma Ying-jeou also turned up at Taipei's Songshan airport.

Relations have improved under Ma Ying-jeou since he took office in 2008, with better economic ties, improving tourism links, and a trade pact signed.

The two sides split in 1949 when the Kuomintang lost to the Chinese Communist Party in the civil war and set up a new government in Taiwan.

BDST: 0851 HRS, NOV 07, 2015
RS