TAIPEI, Taiwan, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- The government of Taiwan reportedly is taking steps to allay U.S. concerns about a planned plebiscite regarding China's military threat.
The March 20 referendum will ask whether China should be offered closer links to the island in exchange for renouncing military force, the Financial Times said Friday.
To be held the same day as the presidential election, the referendum would include a "counter-proposal to China," a senior government official said.
"It could, for example, say the government is to offer immediate direct flights in both directions if China withdraws its military threat against Taiwan," the official said.
The plans are an attempt to overcome U.S. opposition to the plebiscite by transforming it into a gesture of peace towards China.
Chen Shui-bian, Taiwan's president, has pledged to hold a vote demanding China redeploy hundreds of missiles targeting Taiwan and calling on it to renounce its threat of military force against the island.
The U.S. administration has openly opposed this plan, saying it views it as an attempt to change the status quo between China and Taiwan.
