Taipei - Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou met Thursday with Chinese envoy Chen Yunlin for five minutes to express his appreciation for Chen's efforts in promoting exchanges between the two rival sides on the Taiwan Strait.

The historic meeting was held amid protests by hundreds of Taiwan independence supporters, who shouted from the other side of the heavily barricaded meeting venue, "Taiwan is Taiwan, China is China," and "No selling out of Taiwan."

Singing Taiwan songs and waving yellow ribbons, the protesters clashed with police when they tried to break through the barricades.

The closely watched meeting - the highest-level contact since Taiwan and China split at the end of a civil war in 1949 - fell short of general expectations that it would be an hourlong one that would touch on a range of political and economic issues.

In a brief statement, Ma simply applauded the result of the talks between Chen and his Taiwan counterpart Chiang Pin-kung in which the two signed agreements Tuesday on direct daily flights, air cargo charters, shipping and food safety cooperation.

But Ma did point out the political differences across the strait, saying, "It is undeniable that differences and challenges still exist across the strait, especially in the aspect of Taiwan security and international space."

Beijing still considers Taiwan an integral part of China that has no political sovereignty and must be brought back into its fold one day.

Ma said it was necessary for the two sides not to deny the political existence of the other and to work hard to increase cooperation and benefits under the basis of peaceful development and equality.

He then exchanged gifts with Chen before the end of their meeting.

On the thorny issue of political titles, the master of ceremonies announced, "Here comes the president," when Ma arrived in the meeting room.

Ma addressed Chen as chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, which represents China in talks with Taiwan in the absence of formal ties. Chen simply addressed Ma as "nin," the polite form of "you."

China does not recognize the official and political status of Taiwan's government. It also refrains from using political titles to address Taiwan officials.

The pro-independence, opposition Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has accused Ma of the China-friendly Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang (KMT), of trying to sell out Taiwan to the mainland, including by not defend his government position.

"If Ma can't defend his own title, what else can he defend for us?" asked DPP chairwoman Tsai Ing-wen. She also criticized Ma for moving ahead his meeting with Chen from the afternoon to the morning.

The DPP had vowed to gather 100,000 protestors to lay siege to the meeting venue when the two were to meet in the afternoon.

The change in the schedule was mainly because of a violent protest overnight against Chen that trapped him inside a Taipei hotel for six hours.

Ma held a news conference in the morning before the meeting to condemn the mobbing of the Chinese envoy and insist to the Taiwan public that his efforts toward reconciliation with China was not selling out Taiwan to Beijing.

"Assembly and demonstrations must be legal," Ma said, referring to the protest which turned violent overnight. "The DPP chairwoman promised to abide by the law, but what happened at the Regent Hotel yesterday is regrettable."

Ma denied the DPP's accusation that he was betraying Taiwan's interests to China.

"Our policy is no unification, no independence, no occupation," Ma said. "On defending our country's sovereignty, I have not made an inch of sacrifice."

Hundreds of DPP members surrounded the hotel to prevent Chen and his delegation from leaving the building, where they had attended a banquet.

Chen was to wrap up his five-day visit Friday. (dpa)