China vows to prevent Taiwan independence

China's military will crush any major moves towards independence by Taiwan, a Beijing government policy paper said on Monday, prompting the self-governing island to accuse Beijing of escalating tensions. The defence paper was released as senior Chinese lawmakers discussed a draft anti-secession law that analysts say may legally bind China to take military action if the island it claims as a renegade province declares statehood.
"Should the Taiwan authorities go so far as to make a reckless attempt that constitutes a major incident of 'Taiwan independence', the Chinese people and armed forces will resolutely and thoroughly crush it at any cost," the paper said.
Taipei called on the world community "to stop China before it is too late".
Taiwan split from the mainland at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, but Beijing still sees the democratic island of 23 million as a part of Chinese territory and has pledged to bring it back into the fold, by force if necessary.
Moves by President Chen Shui-bian, who took office in 2000, to foster a separate Taiwan identity have made China's communist leaders increasingly nervous.
Taiwan's top China policymaker said the anti-secession law marked Beijing's most serious attempt to pressurise Taipei and, if approved, would define China as the sole arbitrator and lawmaker for relations across the Taiwan Strait.
"To Taiwan, this is a unilateral change of the status quo, a very serious provocation and an absolutely unnecessary escalation of tension," Mainland Affairs Council Joseph Wu told reporters in Taipei. "If China decides to enact the law, it may become an explosive point in cross-Strait relations."
He added: "This is an urgent call to the international community to stop China before it is too late."
NO DIRECT FLIGHTS: Wu said he saw no direct link between the release of the defence white paper and the Beijing parliament's discussion of the anti-secession law, but noted that China's military build-up in recent years has been explicit in intimidating Taiwan.
On Sunday, the Standing Committee of China's National People's Congress, or parliament, praised the draft anti-secession law and unanimously suggested it be submitted to a full session of parliament early next year.
"The situation in the relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits is grim," the Chinese defence paper said.
Both China and Taiwan pointed their fingers at the United States, saying Washington should heed their causes. Washington switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979, but is bound by law to help defend Taiwan.