BEIJING, March 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The Taiwan Work Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council issued a statement Saturday saying that the so-called "peace referendum" held by the Taiwan authorities goes against the will of the people and is doomed to failure.

   The statement says: "On March 20, the Taiwan authorities willfully held the so-called 'peace referendum' in a provocative attempt to undermine cross-Straits relations and split the motherland. The referendum turned out to be invalid. Facts have proven that this illegal act goes against the will of the people. Any attempt to separate Taiwan from China is doomed to failure."