The Anglican Bishop of Taiwan and one of his senior priests say they are saddened by the failure of the electorate on the island to pass two referendums asking whether Taiwan should enter the United Nations.

On a visit last week, he former South African archbishop has urged the Taiwanese people to heal the wounds caused by a 1947 uprising in which thousands were massacred.

Bishop David J. H. Lai of Taiwan paid his first official visit to mainland China this week, meeting with state officials in Beijing, exchanging information with new friends in Nanjing and Shanghai, and emphasizing the need for harmonious relationships - a message that resonantes with the country's official Protestant churches in their post-denominational era.