Taipei, Dec. 11 (CNA) All that Taiwan's United Nations (U.N.) referendum does is cause trouble, and it will box in Taiwan's next president, American Institute in Taipei Chairman Raymond Burghardt said Tuesday, reiterating the United States' opposition to the referendum.
"All it [the referendum] does is cause trouble, " Burghardt said in a round table with members of the local media. The top AIT official is concluding a visit to Taiwan during which he has met with President Chen Shui-bian, presidential candidates Ma Ying-jeou and Frank Hsieh, and other political figures.
It is the second harsh criticism of the proposed referendum leveled by a U.S. official within the last two weeks, following Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Thomas Christensen's remarks in a meeting with members of Taiwan's press Dec. 6 in Washington, D.C.
Christensen said that the United States supports Taiwan's having a wholesome democracy but that a bad democracy or a process packaged as democracy is not true democracy.
The referendum on the country applying to join the United Nations under the name Taiwan is a "clever way" of not violating the pledges that President Chen Shui-bian had made by going through the "back door, " but the United States still interprets it as a violation, he said.
Even if it did not go against the "four noes" pledge, it "came pretty close sometimes, " he added.
Taiwanese officials have described the referendum as a vote against unification with China and for sovereignty, which is more than the contents of the referendum itself, he said.
The United States has the highest regard for Taiwan's democracy, but the referendum unnecessarily threatens cross-strait stability, which has been the United States' main concern in the region, he said.
However, he noted that the United States does value Chen's reassurance Monday of keeping his promises and ensuring a peaceful transition of power after the presidential election next year and has asked China to be patient and show self-restraint ahead of the election.
Burghardt said his meeting with Chen could be summarized as making sure the new president, regardless of who it is, has the chance to be his own man to deal with the cross-straight issue and is not "boxed-in."
The referendum is not fair to the next president not only because holding the referendum will make things difficult for him but also because if it is passes, this will make his job even harder, Burghardt said, adding that the intention of holding the referendum is to bind the hands of Chen's successor.
"The referendum also affects the cross-strait atmosphere and the attitude of the region," he said.
The results of the referendum will not change Washington's one-China policy, even though Chen has said passage of the referendum would prove the policy wrong, Burghardt pointed out.
Responding to a question regarding how the United States will react to the results of the referendum, Burghardt said that it will be important to watch and listen carefully to who says what before, during and after the referendum. Remarks and responses from Chen, both presidential candidates and other countries will be closely monitored, he added.
Burghardt did not directly answer the question posed by a reporter about whether China has "outsourced" the work of containing Taiwan to the United States, but he admitted that the Hu Jintao administration has been more adept and sophisticated in dealing with trilateral relations between the United States, Taiwan and China.