Zhang Wannian, vice-chairman of the Central Military Commission, said Monday that the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) is determined to safeguard state sovereignty and territorial integrity with confidence, capability and effective means.

"Any attempt to split the motherland will not be tolerated," said Zhang when discussing Premier Zhu Rongji's government work report with PLA deputies to the Third Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC). "The PLA will not sit idly by and watch the development of any separatist plot."

"Taiwan independence" means war, while separatism certainly means that peace will not prevail, Zhang said, adding that the PLA, together with the people of the whole nation including Taiwan compatriots, will take any necessary means to steadfastly smash the political gamble of splitting the motherland.

He said that peaceful reunification of the motherland is in the fundamental interests of the compatriots on the both sides of the Taiwan Straits and of the entire Chinese nation.

"We will try our best to achieve peaceful reunification of the motherland in the course of solving the Taiwan issue. But if there occurs a major incident of separating Taiwan from the motherland under any pretext, if Taiwan is invaded and occupied by a foreign power, if the Taiwan authorities indefinitely reject peaceful settlement of the reunification issue through negotiations, then we will have to take all resolute measures possible to realize the reunification cause," Zhang stressed.