Speaking at Beijing's Great Hall of the People during the NPC and on the 15th anniversary of the Anti-Secession Law, General Li Zuocheng, Chief of the Joint Staff Department and member of the Central Military Commission (CMC) told the NPC that an attack on Taiwan with help from people on the island was a possibility. He said, "If the possibility for peaceful reunification is lost, the people's armed forces will, with the whole nation, including the people of Taiwan, take all necessary steps to resolutely smash any separatist plots or actions." "We do not promise to abandon the use of force, and reserve the option to take all necessary measures, to stabilise and control the situation in the Taiwan Strait." 

(Comment: It is unusual for a top, serving Chinese military officer to so explicitly make the threat in a public setting.)