The talks, the first official meeting between China and its neighbour in three years, begin on Wednesday in Shanghai. Senior statesmen Koo Chen-Fu of Taiwan and Wang Daohan of China will participate.

Koo and his wife also plan to meet Chinese President Jiangzemin on Sunday in Beijing.

Both sides appear to believe that the key goal is for China and the island, it considers a renegade province, to agree to meet on a regular basis for formal talks.

In Taipei on Tuesday, Chang King-Yu, Taiwan's top official for Chinese affairs, said this week's informal meetings provide a chance for both sides to understand each others' position better.

But, he said, China must be realistic.

``We hope the mainland can pragmatically face the issues that the two sides need to resolve,'' Chang said at a news conference. ``Only byrespecting the reality of separation between the sides can there be a breakthrough in relations.''

He said that China should call off its diplomatic suppression of Taiwan and its military threats against the island for the sake of better ties.

In another development, Jan Jyh-Horng, an official leading a Taiwanese advance team, negotiated for an additional meeting on Thursday in Shanghai between Koo and Wang, the TVBS television network reported. Taiwan also hopes that China will permit its 12-person delegation to meet Zemin on Sunday in Beijing, along with Koo and his wife, Yen Cho-Yun, the station said.

Koo and Wang will meet for the first time since their 1993 talks in Singapore, the initial formal contact between the two sides since they split during a civil war in 1949.

The two sides had talked then about practical issues such as mutual recognition of legal documents, but an agreement proved elusive. In 1995, China suspended the talks in anger over Taiwan's campaign to raise its internationalprofile.

China says the breakaway province has no right to foreign relations and refuses to recognize the government in Taipei.

During this week's meetings, China has demanded that Taiwan at least begin to discuss political issues related to reunification before the formal dialogue can resume on a regular basis.

Koo's mission is to persuade China to begin a new round of meetings on bilateral issues such as fishing disputes in order to build the trust needed for larger, more sensitive topics.