Chinese army officers have threatened war with Taiwan if it pushes towards independence in an interview published days ahead of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's visit to the United States.
In the interview with Communist Party magazine Outlook Weekly, Major Gen Peng Guangqian of the Chinese Academy of Military Sciences said boycotts of the 2008 Beijing Olympics were a price China was willing to pay to keep Taiwan, which it considers a breakaway province, from declaring independence, Xinhua news agency said.
China would also put up with a slump in critical foreign investment, deteriorating foreign relations, economic recession and "necessary" military casualties, Xinhua reported.
Col Luo Yan of the academy was quoted as saying: "If they [the Taiwanese] refuse to come to their senses and continue to use referendums as an excuse to seek Taiwan independence, they will push Taiwan compatriots into the abyss of war."
The statements were prompted by Taiwan parliament's passing of a bill allowing a "defensive referendum" on sovereignty in the event of an attack by China, Xinhua said.
Last month, as lawmakers on Taiwan debated the referendum bill, Beijing said it would do anything to prevent Taiwan from declaring independence, including going to war.
Then, when Taiwan's parliament passed a watered-down version of the bill, China backed off slightly, saying the crisis had been averted for the time being.
China says Taiwan is a core issue in Sino-U.S. ties and the issue will figure prominently in talks between Wen and U.S. President George W. Bush on December 9th. Mr Wen leaves for the United States, Taiwan's biggest ally and arms supplier, on Sunday.