Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji warned on March 15 that China will not tolerate the "independence of Taiwan" and that the Chinese people are ready to shed blood and sacrifice their lives to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of their motherland.

     He made the warning at a press conference here which was held shortly after the conclusion of the 3rd Session of the Ninth National People's Congress (NPC).

     "Some people have made some calculations about how many aircraft, missiles and warships China possesses, and presumed that China dare not and will not use force based on such calculations," Zhu said, "If such kind of calculations are feasible, Hitler would have ruled the whole world."

     "People making such calculations don't know about the Chinese history. The Chinese people are ready to shed blood and sacrifice their lives to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the motherland," he stressed.

     Expressing his worries about recent dramatic changes in Taiwan, Zhu urged Taiwan people not to act on impulse, otherwise "they will have no other opportunity to regret."

     Zhu cited plunging stock prices at the Taiwan stock market as evidence showing the worries and anxieties of the Taiwan people, who fear about possible war across the Taiwan Strait in case pro- independence people come into power during the election.

     He expressed his belief in Taiwan people's political wisdom and his trust for them to make a "wise, historic choice".

     "But there are only three days left for the Taiwan election, and the result could be hard to predict, since anything unexpected could happen," he warned, calling for vigilance on the part of all Taiwan compatriots against pro-independence forces.