Taiwan's president won't declare independence before finishing term

TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian pledged Monday that before he steps down in May 2008 he will not declare formal independence -- a move China has long warned would spark a war.

"Some say I will do something unexpected during the election season, including declaring independence," the unpredictable Taiwanese leader said in an interview with The Associated Press. "This is completely not the case."

Chen made the comments immediately after holding a two-hour meeting with Ray Burghardt, the most senior U.S. envoy responsible for Taiwan relations.

Washington has been concerned that a planned referendum in March on whether the island should join the United Nations could be a precursor to a declaration of formal independence.

Chen did not say whether Burghardt asked him to drop the referendum, though more senior U.S. officials, including Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte, have done so.

The Taiwanese leader, who is finishing his second four-year term, insisted that the referendum reflected the will of Taiwan's 23 million people and could not be stopped.

"The referendum was initiated by the people," he said. "It has nothing to do with the president, and the government cannot revoke the referendum."

Taiwan and China split amid civil war in 1949, and Beijing has long threatened to attack the island if it rejects eventual unification and seeks a permanent break.

Any outbreak of hostilities could ensnare the United States, which is Taiwan's biggest arms supplier and is bound by U.S. law to help the island defend itself. Washington, however, also is eager to gain China's help on vital trade and international security issues.

Under the U.S. "one-China" policy, the United States agrees to have no diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognizes the regime in Beijing as China's government.