TAIPEI, Nov 29: In a move guaranteed to infuriate China, Taiwan President Chen Shuibian on Saturday unveiled plans to hold a referendum on Election Day to “safeguard the country’s sovereignty”.

“To protect the sovereignty of our country from any alien threats and changes, I’m obliged and responsible to put this issue to a referendum with the approval of the cabinet,” Chen told a rally in the capital city.

Chen’s move ratchets up cross-Strait tensions, which were already inflamed by the passage of a plebiscite law seen as paving the way for moves towards greater independence for Taiwan.

Chen was referring to a clause in the plebiscite law passed earlier this week on the so-called “defensive referendum”, which empowers the president to put to a popular vote “issues of national security concern” in the case of foreign threats.

China, which regards Taiwan as part of Chinese territory awaiting unification, has repeatedly threatened to invade the island should it declare formal independence.

“Don’t you worry On March 20 (presidential election day) next year, we will be able to hold a referendum to safeguard the country’s sovereignty and security,” Chen said.

“Now we are facing a foreign threat. Now we are facing a situation in which the country’s sovereignty may be changed any time.”

Taiwan’s opposition-dominated parliament on Thursday passed a law enshrining for the first time the right to vote on contentious issues including constitutional amendments, independence from China and changes to Taiwan’s official name, flag and territory.

But it also set hurdles that would make such changes hard to achieve in practice, which China’s state-media has called a “watered-down” law that was a “great defeat” for Chen.

Voted down were key clauses allowing popular votes on a completely new constitution and Taiwan’s future — namely reunification with China or independence — that had been put forward by the ruling, pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

But Chen argued it was already a victory for the DPP that the crucial “defensive referendum” was now included in the legislation.

“It is enough to have this one, which is what we could not possibly imagine in the past,” Chen said.—AFP