Taiwan's new governing party has begun discussions on dropping its pro-independence policy.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader and president-elect Chen Shui-bian promised before he was voted in last Saturday to drop any moves towards independence.

Chen Shui-bian: Promised to drop pro-independence stance

Now, the DPP's executive committee has passed a proposal on changing its stance to policy makers for further discussion.

Executive committee member Chen Zau-nan, said: "We unanimously thought the proposal was crucial and needed to be further discussed."

China, which regards Taiwan as a renegade province, has threatened military action over any move towards independence

It says it will not accept Mr Chen's offer of peace talks, unless Taiwan accepts that it can never be an independent country.

Any change in the DPP's policy will have to be approved by the party's entire membership at a congress in June or July.

If it is abolished, China will only push for further concessions

DPP legislator Lin Cho-Shui

There have been a number of conciliatory gestures to Beijing since Mr Chen's election - the first on Monday when he agreed to Beijing's demand to discuss its 'One China' policy.

Taiwan's parliament on Tuesday approved trade, transport and mail links between its frontline islands and mainland China, ending a 50-year ban on direct contact.

And on Wednesday, Mr Chen invited China's top envoy to Taiwan, Wang Daohan, to attend his inauguration ceremony on 20 May, saying it would help create a positive atmosphere.

Taiwanese warships berthed at the Pratas Islands, south of Taiwan

Many in the DPP feel that because Taiwan is, to all practical purposes, already independent, it has nothing to gain by continuing to advocate a formal declaration of that status.

Like the majority of Taiwan voters, they feel they can only lose by further antagonising China.

However, while there is wide support for the amendment within the party, some factions question the wisdom of the timing.

"If it is abolished, China will only push for further concessions," said DPP legislator Lin Cho-Shui, who argued that the climb-down should be kept as a bargaining chip.

"If we abolish this clause, if we give in, Beijing might push us a little bit further and they might ask us to give up our claim on sovereignty, and then maybe something else."

Taiwan has been separated from China since 1949, when nationalist forces fled there following their civil war defeat by the communists.