BEIJING, Jan 3 (Reuters) - A senior Chinese official on Wednesday urged Taiwan's people to make a "correct choice" on the island's upcoming election, which he described as being about peace and war, prosperity and decline.

Zhang Zhijun, head of China's Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait, a quasi-official body that handles ties with Taiwan, made the comments in a New Year's message carried in state media.

(Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Jamie Freed)