The two governments have not met since they split 65 years ago, following a brutal civil war that left millions dead.

China and Taiwan hold historic talks

China and Taiwan held their first government-to-government talks since they split 65 years ago after a brutal civil war - a symbolic yet historic move between the former bitter rivals, AFP news agency reported. Wang Yu-chi, who oversees Taiwan's China policy, arrived in Nanjing on Tuesday for a meeting with his Beijing counterpart Zhang Zhijun on the first day of a four-day trip, a Taiwanese official said. "That we can sit here today, formally getting together, formally holding meetings, together exploring issues that people on both sides of the strait care about - this represents a new chapter for cross-strait relations, and is a day worth recording," Wang said in initial remarks, AFP reported based on a statement. Al Jazeera's Rob McBride reports from Beijing Wang said he hoped Zhang could visit Taiwan "in the foreseeable future". Taiwan is likely to focus on reaping practical outcomes from the discussions, such as securing economic benefits or security assurances, while China has one eye on long-term integration of the island, analysts say. Tuesday's meeting is the fruit of years of efforts to improve relations. But Beijing's communist authorities still aim to reunite all of China under their rule, and view Taiwan as a rebel region awaiting reunification with the mainland. "For us to simply sit at the same table, sit down to discuss issues, is already not an easy thing," Wang said. Shared history Nanjing was China's capital when it was ruled by Wang's Kuomintang, or Nationalist, party in the first half of the 20th century. When they lost China's civil war to Mao Zedong's communists in 1949, two million supporters of the Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek fled to Taiwan. The island and the mainland have been governed separately ever since, both claiming to be the true government of China and only re-establishing contact in the 1990s. Over the decades Taiwan has become increasingly isolated diplomatically, losing the Chinese seat at the UN in 1971 and seeing the number of countries recognising it steadily decrease. However, its military is supplied by the United States and has enjoyed a long economic boom. Closer ties Speaking to Al Jazeera, China analyst Andrew Leung said the talks were "by no means" aimed at unification. "Most of the Taiwanese people want status quo and China knows that time is on her side. So China's in no hurry." Al Jazeera speaks with China analyst Andrew Leung "Most Taiwanese do not want to provoke China and all they want is for Taiwan businesses to grow. There's this very strong demand for closer ties with the mainland. Not for immediate unification, but for much closer ties. "The closer the two sides are tied together, the better it is for Beijing...the better it is also for Taiwan economically." _____________________________________________________________________________________

Iranians rally to mark 35 years of revolution 

Thousands gather in streets of Tehran to mark day that created Islamic Republic, ending the reign of US-allied shah.

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the streets of the Iranian capital and cities around the country to mark the 35th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

In Tehran, huge crowds thronged central Azadi square on Tuesday for a speech by President Hassan Rouhani, his first major address to the public since his election in August.

Rouhani launched into the traditional anti-US rhetoric despite a significant political shift in Tehran, which resulted in his election last year as a leader pursuing a policy of outreach to the West.

"The people's vote had no role in running this country. This was a huge humiliation," Rouhani said, referring to the period when Iran was a constitutional monarchy.

"People wanted their views to be an influence [but] the big powers were interfering in the internal affairs of this country ... The Americans thought the country of Iran belongs to them. They interfered everywhere even on security issues."

The revolution was set in motion in 1979 after a siege began some 10 months following the fall of the US-allied shah.

Radical students stormed the US embassy, taking 52 people hostage. They were released after 444 days, and the seige ended Washington's diplomatic relations with Tehran.

More recently, Iran reached an interim agreement with Western powers to curb its nuclear programme, which the West suspects is meant to develop a nuclear bomb.

But while Tuesday's mood in Tehran is one of celebration, Al Jazeera's Soraya Lennie reported that Iranians still feel there is a lot that needs to be done to strengthen relations between the US and Iran.

"Yes, they want better relations with the United States, they're happy with the government and the diplomatic push from the government, but there's still so much anger in the people towards the history of Iran and the United States," Lennie said.

The slogan's of Tuesday's celebration express Iran's current feelings towards the US and include "we'll stand to the end", "we will stand up against and we are ready for all options on the table", and "we are ready for the great battle".

The first slogan is "obviously a reference to the United States and external pressures on Iran", Lennie said.
The second one is "of course a reference to President Obama, John Kerry and all options on the table including military ones", she said.

Lennie added that the third, like the first slogan, is also about external pressures on Iran.

Missile test 
Activities to mark the anniversary come a day after Iran "successfully tested" two missiles, according to the official IRNA news agency.

Iran's ballistic missile programme has long been a source of concern for Western nations because it is capable of striking its arch-enemy Israel.
"The new generation of ballistic missile with a fragmentation warhead, and a Bina laser-guided surface-to-surface and air-to-surface missile, have been successfully tested," Hossein Dehgan, the defence minister, said.
He said the new ballistic missile could "evade anti-missile systems" and was capable of "great destruction".