The United States opposes any referendum designed to change
Taiwan's status or move it towards independence, US State
Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday.?
Boucher was commenting on Chen Shuibian's latest proposal to
hold a "defensive referendum" in March 2004 in Taiwan.
"We would be opposed to any referenda that would change Taiwan's
status or move towards independence," Boucher said at the State
Department's regular news briefing.
"We also urge both sides to refrain from actions or statements
that increase tensions or make dialogue more difficult to achieve,"
Boucher said.
He reaffirmed that "the United States has always held and again
reiterates that cross-strait dialogue is essential to peace and
stability in the Taiwan Strait area."
Boucher added that the United States takes it "very seriously"
that Chen pledged "not to declare independence, not to change the
name of Taiwan's government and not to add the 'state-to-state'
theory to the constitution, and not to promote a referendum to
change the status quo on independence or unification" in his
inaugural address in 2000.
(Xinhua News Agency December 3, 2003)