Taipei  - Taiwan on Thursday launched its first research centre to study Taiwan-China ties and to try to influence the policies of Taiwan, China and the United States.

The centre, the MacArthur Center for Security Studies, is funded by the US MacArthur Foundation, named after US insurance entrepreneur John MacArthur and is one of the largest independent foundations in the United States.

The research centre is incorporated in the National Chengchi University's Institute of International Relations in Taipei. The launch ceremony was followed by a seminar on the significance of Taiwan's security and cross-strait ties to regional security.

According to the Taipei Times, the centre has four sections, responsible for cross-strait peace studies, national security studies, unconventional security issues and national defence studies.

Centre director Cheng Tuan-yao told the Taipei Times that the centre would provide a three-year grant to sponsor research as part of the funding it received from the MacArthur Foundation's Asia Security Initiative.

MacArthur Foundation announced on May 29 it was committing 68 million US dollars over seven years to the initiative to promote cooperation in fostering peace and security in Asia. The Initiative brings together 27 institutions from around the world to develop new ideas to address Asia's security challenges.

Besides Taiwan's National Chengchi University, other recipients of the fund include Peking University's Centre for International and Strategic Studies, South Korea's East Asia Institute and Singapore's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. (dpa)