Chinese scholars on both sides of the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday slashed Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian's attempt to push Taiwan into the United Nations through a so-called referendum.

The scholars who attended an academic seminar in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, said the so-called "referendum" on whether to join the United Nations under the name of Taiwan marks a step further towards "de jure independence of Taiwan" promoted by Chen.

The attempt will worsen the relation between the mainland and Taiwan, they said.

Xu Shiquan, executive vice president of the mainland-based National Society of Taiwan Studies, said the "referendum" attempt has posed a most dangerous threat to the peace and stability across the strait.

Su Minsheng, an advisor to the All-China Federation of Taiwan Compatriots, said Chen's attempt to push Taiwan into the United Nations is a scheme to make other countries regard Taiwan as "an independent sovereign state".

Wang Wu-lang, director general of Taiwan Labor Rights Association, said the "referendum" will change the status quo across the Taiwan Strait and violates the Anti-Secession Law.

Any proposal or activity violating the "one China" principle is against resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly and is doomed to fail, Wang said.

Taiwan authorities on July 19 sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, raising an application for joining the UN in the name of Taiwan.

A spokesperson for Ban said on July 23 that the UN Office of Legal Affairs had rejected the application for UN membership by Chen.

The spokesperson said the decision was made in keeping with resolution 2758 of the UN General Assembly, which determined that the UN abides by the one-China policy.

(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2007)