The German government asked the Taiwan authorities to cancel the March 20 referendum on independence from China as it tends to increase tension in the region, said deputy spokesman for the German government Thomas Steg on Friday at a regular briefing.

Steg said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder on Thursday held talks in Berlin with Dai Bingguo, envoy of the Chinese Government,on bilateral relations and Taiwan's referendum.

Schroeder said the German government will stick to the "One China Policy", opposes any measures aimed at unilaterally changingthe status quo of Taiwan, and prefers to see the Taiwan authorities stop the referendum which could increase the tension in the region.

Schroeder also expressed the hope that all questions concerned with both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be solved by peaceful means, Steg said.

In a unilateral move, Taiwanese leader Chen Shui-bian proposed referendum two questions -- whether Taiwan should acquire more advanced anti-missile weapons if the mainland refuses to withdraw missiles targeting the island, and whether Taiwan should negotiatewith the mainland to establish a peaceful and stable framework forinteraction.

The attempts of the Taiwan authorities to use democracy as an excuse to hold a referendum for the purpose of splitting China andseeking "Taiwan independence" have been widely condemned by the international community. The United States, Japan, France, Australia and South Korea have already asked Taiwan to cancel the referendum.