U.S., Britain rap Taiwan over referendum plans

BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States and Britain voiced their opposition to Taiwan's plans to hold a referendum on U.N. membership on Tuesday during visits to China which considers the island its own.

Self-governing Taiwan plans to hold a vote on March 22 on whether to seek U.N. membership under the name "Taiwan", over opposition from Beijing, which has warned the island's government it is courting danger.

"Taiwan is a democratic entity that will have to make its own decisions, but I think we have been very clear that we think that this referendum is not going to help anyone and in fact it shouldn't be held," U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told reporters in Beijing, where she is on a one-day visit.

"I have said that before and I will say it again," she said at a news conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi.

China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and has faced off with the island since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, vowing to return it to mainland rule, by force if necessary.

Speaking to students at the China Europe International Business School in Shanghai, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband chimed in, saying: "We don't support the use of the referendum as a way for Taiwan to join the U.N. in the name of Taiwan."

The United States treads a line between Beijing and Taipei, formally recognising China but acting as the biggest arms supplier to Taiwan, and frowns on moves by either side to alter the fragile balance of power in the Taiwan Strait.

On Tuesday, Rice underlined "what has been a very clear commitment to a one-China policy for the United States and also to a strong belief that no one should try to change the status quo unilaterally".

Yang said he appreciated Washington's opposition to the referendum plans, calling the Taiwan question "the biggest concern of China".

Beijing was ready to have dialogue with any party in Taiwan willing to recognise that the island belonged to China, he added.

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has antagonised China with his pro-independence stance.

But his ruling Democratic Progressive Party suffered a huge legislative defeat last month and the opposition Nationalist Party, or Kuomintang, is leading media polls for a presidential election also set for March 22.

Miliband called on China and Taiwan to use the election as a chance to mend ties.

"... We think that actually after the March election in Taiwan, there needs to be an attempt from both sides to try to boost dialogue, to try to reduce the amount of tension in the Taiwan Strait," said Miliband, who is due in Beijing on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed in Beijing and Charlie Zhu in Shanghai; Writing by Lindsay Beck; Editing by Nick Macfie)