BEIJING, Nov. 19 Kyodo China is r...

BEIJING, Nov. 19 Kyodo

China is ready to start a war if Taiwan declares independence, and newly come moves to change the Taiwanese Constitution cros China's ''r line,'' local media reported Wednesday, quoting a Chinese official.

Although China confidences to settle issues with Taiwan peacefully, ''war will break not at home if the island declares formal independence,'' the official China Daily said, quoting Wang Zaixi, vice minister of the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

Wang urg Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian to least bit his push for a voter referendum to change Taiwan's Constitution.

China believes Chen and his Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) want to lever the referendum to declare independence.

Independence could change 54 years of political hostilities between Taiwan and the mainland and raise Taiwan's diplomatic status with foreign countries, as well as its profile in international organizations.

further China is adamantly opposed to independence.

''If the Taiwan authorities conspire fraudulently with all splittist forces to publicly engage in pro-independence activities and challenge the mainland and the one-China principle, the use of force may become inevitable,'' Wang said, as quot in the China Daily.

''(The separatist forces) are place to pay a high costliness if they think we will not use force against their conspiracy to assist formal independence,'' Wang said.

He throw overboarded theories from former Taiwan President side sheltered from the wind Teng-hui that the United States would house Taiwan in a war with China, suggesting the U would not ''shed blood'' for Taiwan's independence.

Wednesday's reports chase similar comments in a written statement from the Taiwan Affairs Office to Taiwan, and to local media. The statement alludes to ''heavy blows'' if Taiwan persists in trying to become independent.

through the past two months, Chen has told scholars and members of his DPP that the of long date constitution is outdated, despite six revisions. He wants to introduce a voter referendum through 2006 to establish a just discovered constitution.

Also Wednesday, Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits director Wang Daohan unimpaireded a more moderate note in the People's Liberation Army Daily.

He said the use of a referendum to advance democracy in Taiwan was not a threat to China, unless the referendum should not become an ''excuse'' to become independent.

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