Top Chinese general says need to keep military option for Taiwan

BEIJING — China needs to keep both peaceful and military options to resolve the “Taiwan issue,” a top Chinese general said on Friday.

If the chance for “peaceful reunification” is gone, then China’s military will use all means to ensure the completeness of its territory, said Li Zuocheng, chief of the Joint Staff Department and member of the Central Military Commission.

Li was speaking at an event in Beijing’s Great Hall of the People marking 15 years of China’s Anti-Secession Law, which authorizes the use of force against Chinese-claimed Taiwan if China judges it to have seceded. (Reporting by Yew Lun Tian; Writing by Ben Blanchard Editing by Shri Navaratnam)