Washington and Beijing should band together to press Taipei to abandon its highly proactive referendum plan in a bid to ensure stable cross-Straits ties, according to leading experts on Taiwan studies speaking on the matter yesterday.

"Strengthened co-operation between China and the United States in this field benefits not only the interests of both sides, but also long-term peace and stability in cross-Straits relations," said Yu Keli, director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Yu told China Daily that Washington should closely work with Beijing and state its opposition more clearly against Taipei's plans to hold an island- wide referendum. He said the referendum serves as "a creeping pro-independence move that threatens to trigger a crisis in cross-Straits ties."

Yu made the remarks after Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian reaffirmed on Saturday his commitment to holding a referendum to determine whether to finish a partially built nuclear power plant before his four-year term ends next March.

Chen, who doubles as chairman of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), said his government is "now drawing up a plan to establish a referendum mechanism" as he delivered a televised speech to the 30th Annual Meeting of the World Federation of Taiwanese Associations in London.

Although the referendum, at least on the surface, is non-political and plays no part in cross-Straits relations, it is widely believed that the ruling DPP is taking advantage of the plan to pave the way for a referendum on whether to seek formal independence from the motherland.

The DPP enshrines Taiwan independence in its party platform, and favours a public referendum to decide the island's future.

In the latest move to show its worry about Taiwan's proposed referendum, Beijing sent two senior envoys to Washington last week in hopes of seeking understanding and co-operation from the US.

Chen Yunlin and Zhou Mingwei, the director and deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council respectively, reportedly told US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage that any referendum on the island is an unacceptable move that will lead to an eventual vote on independence.

Yu added that recent developments have demonstrated that Beijing has apparently gained growing support from Washington on its clear-cut stand on the referendum issue.

The United States has begun to voice strong disapproval of the Taiwanese move, both at official and non-official occasions, according to the researcher.

For instance, Armitage reportedly expressed US concerns over a possible crisis arising from the Taiwanese referendum plan while meeting Taiwan's "presidential secretary general" Chiou I-jen, who was on a US mission at the weekend to explain reasons behind the proposed plebiscite.

Former US ambassador to China James Lilley also said on Sunday that he was worried a referendum may prevent Taiwan's economy from developing further.

(China Daily July 29, 2003)