Rice U.S. opposes Taiwan's U.N. bid

Condi strikes again. She's become one of the worst enemies of freedom in the world. she's selling Israel down the drain, now she's pulling the rug out from under Taiwan's efforts to become recognized as an independent nation.
FROM CHINAPOST.COM:
Rice U.S. opposes Taiwan's U.N. bid
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Reuters

WASHINGTON -- The United States opposes Taiwan's plan to hold a referendum on joining the United Nations, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Friday, calling Taipei's bid provocative and unhelpful.
Taiwan's ruling party plans to stage a referendum alongside presidential elections in March, ignoring warnings from Washington and threats from China, which claims sovereignty over the self-ruled island of 23 million.
"We think that Taiwan's referendum to apply to the United Nations under the name 'Taiwan' is a provocative policy," Rice said, restating U.S. opposition both to Taiwan independence and to the use of force by China to solve the dispute.
"It unnecessarily raises tensions in the Taiwan strait and it promises no real benefits for the people of Taiwan on the international stage -- that is why we oppose this referendum," she told a news conference in Washington.
Communist China has claimed sovereignty over democratic Taiwan since the Chinese civil war ended in 1949, and Beijing has threatened to use force if the island formally declares statehood.
Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, recognizing "one China", but remains Taiwan's biggest ally and is obliged by the Taiwan Relations Act to help the island defend itself.
Repeated attempts by Taiwan to join the United Nations under its formal name, the Republic of China, have failed, prompting the campaign to pursue membership under the name Taiwan.