Taipei - A US envoy warned Friday against Taiwan's plan to hold a controversial UN membership referendum, saying it would undermine trust between Washington and Taipei. "I do think there is a price to be paid in mutual trust," Stephen Young, director of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), the US de facto embassy in Taipei in the absence of formal relations, said in a news conference in Taipei.
His comment came after Young's Taiwanese counterpart in the US, Joseph Wu, said in Washington Wednesday there is no turning back for the island to hold the referendum alongside the presidential election in March next year, because more than 27 million have already signed to endorse the plan.
The planned referendum, which will ask voters to decide whether the island should join the United Nations under the name Taiwan instead of its official Republic of China title was initiated by Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian.
But Washington has opposed such a vote, describing it as "unnecessary" and a "mistake" as it would serve only to escalate tension between Taiwan and its arch rival China.
Beijing, which considers Taiwan an integral part of China despite the fact that the two sides split at the end of a civil war in 1949, has regarded the planned a referendum as the first step towards declaring independence.
It has said it would resort to its anti-secession law to authorize the military to attack the island should the island declare independence.
Taipei, however, stressed the planned vote has nothing to do with changing the status quo since "Taiwan" is just a name it wants to use to join the global body.
Young, however, questioned the motive behind holding such a referendum.
Asked if the US would resort to any punitive actions against Taiwan if it went ahead, Young said: "I would stop short of saying there is some sort of consequence."
The United Nations has already rejected an application by Chen in September for the island to join the UN under the name Taiwan on the grounds that Taiwan has no statehood and is therefor not eligible to apply.
