A woman holds a placard at the rally in Taipei. (Reuters)

Taipei, March 26 (Reuters): Hundreds of thousands of people chanting: ?Oppose war, Love Taiwan? joined President Chen Shui-bian today to protest against China?s anti-secession law that sanctions the use of force against the island.

Chen?s ruling Democratic Progressive Party hopes the protest will draw international attention to the new law and put pressure on China to scrap it. Organisers said 1 million people joined the show of people power against Beijing?s military threat, but Taipei police estimated the crowd at just over 240,000.

?I am here to protest against a barbaric China which looks down upon the Taiwanese people,? said 70-year-old businessman Fan Wen-yi, adding he was not affiliated to any political party and had never participated in a protest before. ?The anti-secession law, simply put, is a law that authorises war.?

The protesters chanted slogans and waved green flags that read ?democracy, peace, protect Taiwan? as they marched towards the presidential office from 10 locations around the capital, symbolising the 10 clauses of the anti-secession law.

Many brought their children and pets to the ?democratic carnival?. Scores of children bared bottoms plastered with anti-missile stickers, while a handful of angry protesters set fire to red Chinese flags. President Chen and his family, surrounded by 500 security guards, joined the marchers. Holding two green inflated green batons, Chen joined the crowd in singing songs in the Taiwanese dialect.

The rally dispersed peacefully after a giant red balloon in the shape of a sea-urchin, symbolising Chinese missile threats, was deflated.

The anti-secession bill approved by China?s parliament on March 14 is a bid to deter Chen from pushing for a formal split from China before the end of his term in 2008.

The law codified Beijing?s longstanding threat to attack Taiwan, authorising the use of non-peaceful measures against the democratically ruled island if it pushes for formal statehood.

?Taiwan is in such a sad position. It?s like an international orphan. If we don?t stand up and fight, no-one will fight for us,? said 23-year-old student Jonathan Lin. ?We should not be afraid of China. If they invade, I am willing to fight to the last moment.?

China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since the Chinese Nationalists fled there at the end of a civil war in 1949. The Nationalist Party, which favours a more conciliatory stance towards Beijing, shunned the protest.