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.
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(People's Daily March 13, 2004)