China’s second-highest ranking negotiator on Taiwanese issues was pushed to the ground and punched by protesters in Taiwan on Tuesday, just weeks before a historic meeting between the two sides was expected to take place.

Zhang Mingqing, vice-chairman of China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, was visiting Taiwan as part of an academic symposium. Protesters surrounded and attacked Mr Zhang while he was sightseeing at a Confucian temple with minimal police protection. One protester jumped on to Mr Zhang’s car when he tried to escape.