|
U.S. opposes "provocative" Taiwan referendum bid: Rice
2007-12-21
The United States considers Taiwan's planned referendum on joining the United Nations provocative and unhelpful, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday. Taiwan'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 that Washington did not support Taiwanese independence and opposed the use of force by China to settle 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. China has claimed sovereignty over democratic Taiwan since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, and Beijing has threatened to use force if the island formally declares statehood. Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, recognizing "one China," but remains Taiwan's biggest ally and is obliged by the Taiwan Relations Act to help the island defend itself. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he was "not worried that there will be a military reaction" by China to the referendum, but said the Pentagon was watching it closely. "The United States has spoken out on this quite clearly to the Taiwanese government, and the Chinese government knows that we have spoken out," he told a news conference, saying Washington continued to urge China to seek a political solution. 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. Taiwan is recognized by just 24 mostly small, poor countries around the world, against 170 which recognize economic powerhouse China. Conservative U.S. lawmakers, long-time champions of Taiwan, criticized the Bush administration's stance on the referendum in a letter sent to Rice this week urging Washington to respect that democracy's right to conduct elections as it saw fit.
| 
