More than 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Taiwan’s capital Taipei on Sunday to protest against a trade pact with China.

Critics say the deal could hurt small companies and would give Beijing’s Communist leaders too much influence over the island.

Demonstrators dressed in black and white with yellow headbands and held sunflowers to symbolise hope.

“The headbands we wear say ‘protect democracy, withdraw the trade pact.’ I think the most important issue is that Taiwan is a democratic country. I think its democracy has already been destroyed,” one protester said.

Another added: “I don’t oppose the trade pact, but I think there has a better way to sign this pact. There must be a better and more appropriate way to handle the trade pact between two countries.”

The trade pact was signed by China and Taiwan last June but has yet to be formally ratified by Taiwan’s parliament.

It opens 80 of China’s service sectors to Taiwan and 64 Taiwanese sectors to China.