Washington, Dec 09: The US government strongly criticized a referendum planned by Taiwan that could be interpreted as a move toward independence from China. Bush administration officials denied yesterday that they were talking about any change in the long-standing US "one China" policy but rather were attempting to speak more clearly about it.

At the same time, the US administration told Beijing the criticism of Taiwan should not be seen as a green light to consider using force against the island.

China's premier, Wen Jiabao, had dinner yesterday with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and was meeting today at the White House with President George W Bush. A senior Bush administration official who briefed reporters at the White House on the condition of anonymity said that Taiwan "seems to be pushing the envelope pretty vigorously" on issues related to its future status.

That makes the Bush administration uncomfortable, the official said.

The official specifically criticized a scheduled March 20 referendum on Taiwan asking voters to demand that China stop threatening the island and remove hundreds of missiles aimed at the island. The referendum was proposed by Taiwan President Chen Shui-Bian. Bureau Report