Taipei - Taiwan's stocks closed 2.72 per cent lower amid a bearish sentiment triggered by Wall Street's sharp overnight losses as well as a dismal global and local economic outlook, dealers said.

The TAIEX index opened nearly 4 per cent lower in response to the overnight fall of Wall Street. Government funds moved by mid-morning to buy strongly, helping to somewhat ease the slide.

The index closed at 4730.51 points, a drop of 132.08 points or 2.72 per cent.

Taipei - Taiwan and China are likely to hold second round of high-level talks in Taipei on November 3, despite a recent attack of a Chinese envoy by pro-independence activists during his visit to the island, a government source said on Thursday.

The Mainland Affairs Council, the island's top China policy planning body, was expected to hold a news conference at 4 p. m. (0800 GMT) in Taipei to announce that top China negotiator Chen Yunlin would arrive in Taiwan for the talks between November 3 and November 7, the source, who requested to remain anonymous, said.

Taipei - A senior Chinese official cut short his Taiwan visit and returned to China Wednesday, after he was shoved to the ground by pro-independence activists during a visit to a temple the previous day.

"I feel bad that police have to deploy so much manpower to protect my safety and I don't think I should cause them so much trouble, but the public will tell right from wrong," said Zhang Mingqing, vice chairman of the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), at the airport.

Taipei - Taiwan Defence Minister Chen Chao-min on Wednesday ordered all warplanes grounded for three days for safety inspections after a second crash in as many days.

"With painful mind, I apologise to all compatriots in Taiwan, and the ministry has ordered that all war planes, except for those on routine surveillance or search missions, be grounded for three days for safety inspections," Chen told parliament.

His comments came after opposition parliamentarians questioned him over the crash of a submarine-hunting helicopter during night training Tuesday, a day after a self-developed Indigenous Defence Fighter (IDF) jet crashed.

Taipei - A senior Chinese official was assaulted Tuesday by a group of pro-independence activists during a visit in the southern Taiwan city of Tainan, threatening to undermine high-level China-Taiwan talks planned for this month in Taipei.

Zhang Mingqing, vice chairman of the Association of Relations Across the Taiwan Straits (ARATS), was mobbed by a group of activists led by city councilor Wang Ting-yu of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party during a sightseeing trip in Tainan.

ARATS is a state-funded mainland agency charged with dealing with the island in the absence of formal diplomatic ties.

Taipei - Taiwan's Fubon Financial Holding, the island's second-largest financial group, Monday said it would buy the Taiwanese life insurance unit of Dutch banking giant ING Life Insurance.

"The acquisition will cost 600 million US dollars and we all believe it is a great deal for both Fubon Financial and ING in terms of business strategy and financial decision," Fubon president Victor Kung said.