Taipei, March 2, SPA -- Less than 1 per cent of Taiwanese voters believe itis urgent for the island to join the United Nations, with an opinionpoll Sunday showing that most Taiwanese regard a controversial UNmembership referendum as a phony issue, reported dpa. Of the 1,065 eligible voters surveyed, only 0.4 per cent of therespondents said the government must make accession to the globalbody a priority, according to the survey by the TaiwanCompetitiveness Forum. Some 63.6 per cent think that it is more important for thegovernment to improve the economy and general living standards on theisland. "The fact that not many voters think that the government shouldplace the UN membership as the priority of its task shows that votersdo not believe the passage of the UN membership referendum wouldincrease Taiwan's membership chance," said Peng Chin-peng,secretary-general of the forum. A referendum initiated by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party(DPP) on joining the United Nations in the name of Taiwan is to takeplace on March 22 alongside the presidential election. The referendum has met with strong opposition from the UnitedStates and China, which considers the island a part of China andwith no right to join the United Nations. The United Nations awarded the China seat to Beijing from Taipeiin 1971, and Taipei has repeatedly applied to rejoin the global bodywithout success since the early 1990s due to China's opposition. Beijing, a rival of Taiwan since the two sides split at the end ofa civil war in 1949, has said the referendum is the first steptowards declaring independence. It has threatened to attack Taiwan ifit declares formal independence from China.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/532356