Taiwan's new administration will be more pragmatic and flexible in pushing forward with the nation's bid to join the United Nations, a senior diplomatic official said Sunday.

According to reports monitored by the Daily Observer, a official, who was in charge of affairs relating to international organisations for over 10 years, was responding to President Ma Ying-jeou's recent remarks that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is studying a new approach to promoting Taiwan's UN bid in line with the changing situation.

Ma said two referendums on the country's entry into the global body under the name Taiwan and the national title Republic of China -- held alongside the March 22 presidential election -- failed because neither of them attracted enough votes to make the outcomes binding, so his administration will adopt a new tack to promote the country's U.N. bid.

According to the official, the cross-Taiwan Strait situation experienced a change after the inauguration of the Ma administration, and in the face of the "completely different atmosphere, " it is necessary for the country to adjust the ways in which it promotes its accession to various international organizations such as the U.N. and the World Health Organization.

Asked whether the nation will apply for U.N. membership under the name Republic of China, Chinese Taipei or other, more flexible names, the official said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is soliciting opinions from experts and academics and exchanging views with other relevant government agencies on the issue.

After an internal consensus on a new approach is reached, the government will consult with diplomatic allies as well as the United States, Japan and the European Union on its feasibility, the official went on.

However, the official added that it is unlikely the new administration will file an application for U.N. membership under the name Taiwan this year.

Due to Beijing's obstruction, the nation has failed every year for more than a decade to regain its U.N. membership, which it lost in 1971.