China criticized the demand of referendum made on August 3 by Chen Shui-bian, leader of the Taiwan authority, as a serious incident to split China.

This is exactly the same as the state-to-state statement masterminded by his predecessor Lee Teng-hui and laid bare Chen's position to cling to "Taiwan Independence", said a spokesman of the Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and of the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council.

Chen called for a referendum on Taiwan's future and destiny on an appropriate occasion and preached that "Each side is a country" and that Taiwan would "walk down its own road" in a speech with an overseas Taiwanese association in Tokyo on Saturday.

Chen's speech is an outward defiance to all Chinese people including the Taiwan compatriots and a defiance to the internationally acknowledged "one China" principle. It will seriously sabotage the relations between both sides of the Taiwan Straits and affect stability and peace in the Asia-Pacific region, the spokesman said.

Chen's statement of "Each side is a country" proved that his commitment of not seeking Taiwan independence, not changing the name of Taiwan, not enlisting the theory of two countries into the constitute and not holding referendum in his inauguration speech was merely an expedient measure aimed at deceiving the people in Taiwan and the world opinion, the spokesman said.

The majority of people in Taiwan are in favor of peace, development, stability and improvement of relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. Chen imposed the attempt of Taiwan independence held by a handful of people on the broad masses of Taiwan compatriots. It will affect the economy of Taiwan, harm the fundamental interests of Taiwan residents and bring Taiwan into disaster, he said.

The spokesman reiterated that there is only one China in the world. Both the mainland and Taiwan are part of China. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of China can't be separated.

China's consistent policy is to oppose Taiwan independence and materialize the goal of China's reunification. Nobody is allowed to separate Taiwan from China in any form, he said.

The spokesman warned the splittist forces in Taiwan not to misjudge the situation and stop all splittist activities.

(Xinhua News Agency August 6, 2002)