LOS ANGELES, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of the Chinese community here on Saturday lashed out at Taiwan authorities' decision to hold a referendum on its bid for United Nations membership in the name of Taiwan.

    The leaders said such a move is a step toward independence from China and would risk further tensions and even a war between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits.

    Leaders of Chinese American groups and representatives of the Chinese community said at a meeting that they firmly support the U.S. government's one-China policy and its stance on the referendum issue.

    Senior U.S. officials have recently reiterated their opposition to Taiwan's referendum plan and stepped up pressure on leader of the Taiwan authorities Chen Shui-bian to drop the decision. Washington saw the move as a step toward a declaration of "Taiwan independence," which would enrage the mainland and thus endanger the island's security.

    In a joint statement read out at the meeting, the Chinese community leaders urged the Taiwan authorities to stop the referendum effort and any activities toward "Taiwan independence", and called on people in Taiwan to make intelligent judgment and choice in their own interests.

    They accused Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party of disregarding the interests of Taiwan's 23 million residents, and using the referendum plan to seek benefits in the island's elections next year.

    Taiwan, an inalienable part of China, has no right to apply for UN membership under UN General Assembly resolution 2758, which recognizes the government of the People's Republic of China as the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China.

    "A referendum in Taiwan, which would be manipulated by the Taiwan authorities, is illegitimate, as the future of Taiwan should be decided by all 1.5 billion Chinese people," said Lisa Jiang, rotatory chairperson of the Southern California Federation for China's Peaceful Unification, an umbrella organization of Chinese American groups in the region with members both from Taiwan and Chinese mainland originally.

    Speakers at the meeting said that overseas Chinese, including those living in the United States, who mostly want to see a unified China, are ready to support any actions to be adopted by the mainland to crush the Taiwan authorities' independence scheme and safeguard the nation's territory integrity.

    L.P. Cheng, an outspoken political analyst in Southern California's Chinese community, said that it is time for all the Chinese people around the world to show their will and resolve by taking some action against Taiwan's independence attempts.