Eagerly anticipated talks between Taiwan and China have been tentatively set for December 21 to 23 in the central Taiwanese city of Taichung, local media reported Thursday.

The talks between China's delegate Chen Yunlin and his Taiwanese counterpart Chiang Pin-kung will be the fourth since relations between the two former arch enemies thawed in mid-2008, the United Daily News said.

The two negotiators are likely to discuss a trade agreement that could see unprecedented exchanges between the two sides, separated since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Taiwan's China-friendly government says the agreement will boost growth, while the opposition warns it will increase dependence on the mainland, which has never given up reunification.

The Taiwanese government is taking steps to minimise the risk that China's delegate will experience a repeat of the violent protests that confronted him when he visited in November last year, the paper said.

Chen was besieged in his hotel because of the protests and unable to leave during his stay.

This time, the government has rented all rooms and venues at the Windsor Hotel in Taichung to prevent protesters from gaining access under the guise of being ordinary guests, according to the paper.

Taiwan's quasi-official Straits Exchange Foundation, which handles ties with China in the absence of formal relations, said the date was not yet set in stone.

"The date of the talks has yet to be fixed and still needs further discussions by the two sides," Maa Shaw-chang, the foundation's deputy secretary-general, told AFP.

A staff member at the Windsor Hotel told AFP there were still rooms available for December 21, and said she was not aware that the hotel had been picked as the venue for the talks.