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Taipei - Taiwan's pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Monday announced it will stage a large-scale march next weekend to protest against a planned visit by China's top negotiator Chen Yunlin.

"The theme of our protest includes opposition to a one-China market, opposition to hollowing out of our sovereignty to China and opposition to the impotent Ma Ying-jeou government," said DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsan.

He said any people, including former president Chen Shui-bian, who support the theme are welcomed to join the DPP's protest on October 25.

Taipei - Taiwan stocks fell more than 2 per cent Monday despite government measures to stabilize the stock market amid global jitters.

The TAIEX index plunged more than 3 per cent in mid-session trading but closed at 5,020.44, down 110.27 points or 2.15 per cent from the last trading day.

The plunge occurred despite the Taiwan government's announcement of three measures to shore up the stock market.

The new measures including limiting stocks' rise or fall to 3.5 per cent, down form the previous 7 per cent in any trading session, extending the ban on short-selling and continuing to use the National Stabilization Fund to continue to intervene in the market.

Taipei - Taiwan stocks plunged more than 3 per cent Monday despite government measures to stabilize the stock market amid global jitters.

Two hours into trading, the TAIEX index had fallen 156.22 points, or 3.04 per cent, to 4,974.71.

The plunge occurred despite the Taiwan government's announcement of three measures to shore up the stock market.

Taipei - Taiwan will hold talks with China on financial market investments, including permission for China investment in local stocks and Taiwanese investments in mainland securities and banking institutions, a top official said Sunday.

"They will be included in our upcoming talks as the follow-up agenda," said Lai Shin-yuan, chairwoman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), the island's top China policy planning body.

Taipei - A species of rare land crab has been spotted in Taiwan, marking the third time in world history that this type of species has been observed by scientists, a newspaper said on Sunday.

The sesarmid crab, named labuanium trapezoideum, was spotted in the Kenting National Park in south Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported.

The park's biologists said that the species was first spotted on Andaman Island, Indonesia, in 1837 and biologists did not find another such crab until 166 years later.

In 2003, a group of biologists found several labuanium trapezoideum crabs in Taitung County, southeast Taiwan, and made detailed records of their biological and behavioral characteristics, which was later published in the science journal Crustaceana.