A general of the Chinese military said Saturday the armed forces have the determination, confidence and capability to crush any schemes and provocative acts to make Taiwan secede from China.

"We will seek to resolve the Taiwan issue peacefully with our utmost sincerity, but will never pledge to renounce the use of force," said General Guo Boxiong, a deputy to China's top legislature, the National People's Congress (NPC), during a panel discussion of lawmakers.

"Should major incidents entailing Taiwan's secession from China occur, we'll have no other choice but to respond by every possible means, including the use of force," said Guo, who serves as vice chairman of the Central Military Commission.

The armed forces will resolutely safeguard China's sovereignty and territorial integrity, said Guo, when he joined the NPC delegation representing the People's Liberation Army in their panel discussion about the government work report delivered by Premier Wen Jiabao Saturday morning.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2005)