China welcomes U.S. opposition to Taiwan U.N. bid

BEIJING (Reuters) - China welcomed U.S. pressure on Taiwan to drop its plan for a referendum on membership of the United Nations, saying the island's attempts to assert nationhood were doomed to failure.

China considers Taiwan as part of its territory, part of "one China", and is recognized by 170 countries across the world as opposed to just a handful of mostly poor nations which recognize Taiwan.

In an interview with Hong Kong television, U.S. Secretary of State John Negroponte said the referendum would be a step towards independence and called on Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to honor the status quo between Taiwan and China.

"We have taken note of the relevant report, and appreciate the U.S. government's recent reiteration of its opposition to Taiwan's referendum on entry into the United Nations," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement on the ministry's Web site (www.fmprc.gov.cn).

"Opposing and restraining Taiwan independence is key to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and in the Asia-Pacific region."

China has vowed to reunite Taiwan with the mainland, by force if necessary. The United States dropped ties with Taiwan more than 30 years ago when it normalized relations with China, but it has also pledged to help defend the island in case of attack and sees its bid for U.N. membership as a dangerous provocation of Beijing.

Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party has said it plans to hold a referendum on the subject alongside presidential elections next March to highlight what it regards as bullying by Beijing that is keeping it diplomatically isolated.

The United Nations, which ousted Taipei in favor of Beijing in 1971, rejected the island's most recent membership bid last month, and with China's status as a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, the island stands no chance of entry.