China ratcheted up its tough talk yesterday, warning Taiwan that increasing "radical pro-independence moves" are shoving China toward preparations for a military solution to the cross-strait impasse.
But Beijing also said it remained committed to peace.
The Chinese government used its official media -- English-language newspapers in particular -- to disseminate words of caution to Taipei: Comments by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), and especially any referendum on independence, risk military consequences.
There is a growing possibility that "peace will have to be safeguarded and won through the use of force," said an article in the government-run press, quoting a "senior military source." But it said any military preparations would be "a backup."
The article, which raised the stakes of the usual rhetoric by openly invoking the military, ran yesterday in two top state-controlled outlets -- the China Daily newspaper and the Web site of the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper. Both are key conduits for policy statements by the Beijing leadership.
"We must not delude ourselves that the separatists will abandon their pro-independence pursuit overnight," the official was quoted as saying. "If we want to strive for peace, we have to be fully prepared for military action."
The carefully worded article came days after Chen angered Beijing by saying Taiwan is a separate nation and might "walk down its own Taiwanese road."
The article yesterday emphasized that China preferred peaceful solutions but was open to other options if necessary. "Taiwan choosing independence is tantamount to choosing war," the article said, explaining Beijing's policy. It also said China had been "exerting maximum military restraint."
The Chinese newspapers quoted the military official as saying that Chen's comments "underscore the need for the mainland to proceed with military preparations as a backup to encourage further work to bring about a peaceful reunification."
"The resolution to the Taiwan question cannot be postponed indefinitely," the military source was quoted as saying.
An editorial by the government-run Xinhua News Agency called Chen's recent comments a "dangerous provocation" to both sides. "Chen Shui-bian has finally taken off his camouflage," it said.
That editorial also ran in news-papers across the Chinese social spectrum.
The People's Daily also weighed in with a scornful opinion piece by Lan Xin, whom it did not identify further.
"Chen Shui-bian is thinking himself clever," Lan wrote. "In desperation, he takes a risk on the happiness of 23 million Taiwanese just for political self-interest. He will pay a terrible price for this gambler's act."
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