Taipei - Hailing recent protests against a Chinese envoy, Taiwan opposition leader Tsai Ing-wen said Saturday that Taiwan's future must be decided by referendum, not by China.

Referring to talks last week between the leadership of the self- governing island and its massive neighbour, Tsai, chairwoman of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), blasted President Ma Ying-jeou for kowtowing to the envoy, Chen Yunlin.

Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Tsai said that more than 100,000 people besieged the venue where Ma of the ruling Chinese Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, was meeting Chen on Thursday.

The public protest should demonstrate to the Taiwan authorities that the issue of sovereignty should be decided by public will, she said.

"We demand that the Chinese Nationalist Party and the Chinese Communist Party must stop their dialogue. Taiwan's sovereignty must be decided through referendum," she said.

Chen, chairman of the semi-official Association for Relations across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS), was in Taiwan from Monday to Friday, the highest-ranking official to visit the island since the two sides split in 1949.

He signed four pacts with Taiwan on direct sea links, daily charter flights, direct postal services and food safety.

Chen's visit was the climax of Ma's reconciliation moves towards archrival China since he took office on May 20.

Taiwan's opposition is worried that Ma is moving too close to China and that his party is secretly dealing with the Communists.

They say Taiwan is a sovereign state and reject Beijing's claim on the island, which is enshrined in Chinese law and backed up with threats of invasion if Taipei declares formal independence.

Ma has said that the Taiwan-China talks have been transparent and that he is safeguarding the island's sovereignty while improving ties with Beijing.

When Chen was in Taiwan, DPP members and supporters held protests at every stop of his trip, shouting slogans, exploding firecrackers, releasing balloons and blocking his car.

Some 50 policemen and dozens of protesters and reporters were injured during the clashes.

Police have arrested 18 protesters on charges of violating the law on demonstrations and are hunting for 40 others for instigating violence against the police. (dpa)