Thousands of people marched on the streets of two Taiwanese cities Saturday to show their support for the island’s bid to join the United Nations.

Taiwan’s President Chen Shui-bian led thousands of sympathizers of his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and chanted slogans with them. The streets of the southern city Kaohsiung were filled by people of all ages wearing green clothes and waving green flags, while shouting “Taiwan, go, go, go!”

Their march ended in a park, where a makeshift arch was built to express the people’s hope that Taiwan will become a member of the UN in a short while. The entire event resembled to a carnival, with coloured clothing and giant balloons symbolizing the globe.

President Chen is pushing for a national referendum that would reveal the people’s desire to join the UN and organized Saturday’s march hoping to draw the world’s attention.

“Is there anything wrong with our joining the UN? The 23 million people in Taiwan are also human beings and should enjoy rights equal to those of other countries,” the president said during the rally.

Chen reiterated Taiwan is “a sovereign independent country,” therefore it has the unconditioned right to join the international organization.

“We have no plan to change the status quo ... We are using the ‘Taiwan’ title to attract the world's attention,” he said after both Beijing and Washington said the UN referendum will change Taiwan’s existing state of affairs.

“If you support Taiwan being a sovereign independent state and not a part of the People's Republic of China, please vote for our referendum on joining the United Nations in the name of Taiwan,” he added.

A similar rally took place in Taichung, a city in west-central Taiwan. But the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) organized the action, with thousands of persons asking the international community to accept Taiwan’s bid.

Nearly 100,000 people “armed” with national flags walked down the city’s streets and shouted “Fighting to improve the general livelihood, returning to the United Nations.” The final stage of the rally was held at the local baseball stadium where the party’s leaders held speeches.

The two rallies had only the national goal in common, as the two parties refused to join forces due to their different views.

The DPP wants Taiwan to be recognized as an independent nation and plans to join the UN as a sovereign state.

On the other side, the KMT also wants Taiwan’s independence to be recognized, but it’s willing to accept an unification with China if the Beijing government embraces democracy. The party adopted a softer stance than the DPP and said Taipei should reach a compromise with China in order to join the international organization.

The Beijing government remained firm on its position, saying Taiwan is its breakaway province and would never approve an eventual UN membership, because only independent states can join.

Tension is mounting in the region, as both Beijing and Washington officials urged Taipei to refrain from holding a referendum in order to avoid a possible conflict with China.