WASHINGTON - The United States opposes TaiwanÂ’s plan to hold a referendum on joining the United Nations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday, calling TaipeiÂ’s bid provocative and unhelpful. TaiwanÂ’s ruling party plans to stage a referendum alongside presidential elections in March, ignoring warnings from Washington and threats from China, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island of 23 million.
“We think that Taiwan’s referendum to apply to the United Nations under the name ’Taiwan’ is a provocative policy,” Rice said, restating US opposition both to Taiwan independence and to the use of force by China to solve the dispute. “It unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan strait and it promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage -- that is why we oppose this referendum,” she told a news conference in Washington.
Repeated attempts by Taiwan to join the United Nations under its formal name, the Republic of China, have failed, prompting the campaign to pursue membership under the name Taiwan. |