The German government Friday demanded the Taiwan authorities to cancel the March 20 referendum as it tends to increase tension in the region.

At a regular briefing, deputy spokesman for the German government Thomas Steg said that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder Thursday met with Dai Bingguo, the envoy of the Chinese government, on bilateral relations and the referendum to be held on March 20 in Taiwan.

Schroeder assured that the German government would firmly stick to its clear-cut "one China policy," Steg said.

Schroeder was quoted as saying that the German government opposes any measures aimed at unilaterally changing the status quo of Taiwan and prefers the referendum and other steps which could increase the tension in the region to be canceled.

The German chancellor also hoped that all questions concerning the two sides of the Taiwan Straits must be solved through peaceful means, Steg said.
 
(People's Daily March 13, 2004)