A national poll conducted shortly after Premier Zhu Rongji uttered his stern stance on the Taiwan issue on Wednesday found that 95 per cent of 1,378 respondents supported military action against the island's splittist forces should they seek independence in any form.

The pollster, Social Survey Institute of China (SSIC), which is affiliated with the National Bureau of Statistics, said in a report yesterday that all the people contacted expressed concern about Taiwan's upcoming election. The survey was based on samples retrieved from random phone interviews with residents from China's seven biggest cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, Changsha and Harbin.

Most people surveyed applauded Zhu's talks on the Taiwan issue during Wednesday's press conference, according to a statement from the SSIC.

Zhu warned during the press conference that the central government will not tolerate any form of independence no matter who comes to power in the island election slated for this Saturday.

About 90 per cent of the respondents said the Taiwan issue should be solved as soon as possible and should not drag on for generations.

"The percentage of people who are for the use of military force against Taiwan's independence is 4 per cent higher than the poll we made after the release of the White Paper on Taiwan," said Wang Xiaojun, a survey analyst with SSIC.

An earlier survey made by SSIC when Taiwan was jolted by a disastrous earthquake showed about 81.8 per cent of the people supported the government's use of military force if Taiwan declared independence.

"The change of figures implies that more and more people support the use of military force to prevent Taiwan from breaking away from the motherland," Wang said.Poll backs stern stance on Taiwan (China Daily)