Editor's Note: Taiwan is an integral part of China, and its reunification with the motherland is at core of the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation. Although the Chinese mainland prefers peaceful reunification, it has never ruled out the use of force to achieve that goal. How likely is the mainland to use force to realize the national goal? Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily's Yao Yuxin. Excerpts follow:

Reunification is integral to national rejuvenation

The mainland has not ruled out resorting to the use of force for reunification mainly to target "pro-independence" forces on the island and preempt any move for "Taiwan independence", as well as to prevent external forces from intervening in cross-Straits relations.

Peaceful reunification is one option, and forceful reunification the other. The decision to choose between the two rests on the mainland depending on whether the separatists on the island and foreign forces will continue to impede the reunification process.

The Taiwan question will certainly be addressed as we inch closer to achieving national rejuvenation. No timetable or deadline has been set, but reunification will surely be achieved.

The purpose of making more efforts now to realize the reunification goal is to end the political divide across the Straits.

Zhu Songling, a professor at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Beijing Union University

Force will be used after other means fail

The mainland prefers to realize reunification through peaceful means, but it retains the option of using force against separatists on the island to fulfill the goal of reunification.

To be sure, the mainland will use force only when it is no longer possible to achieve reunification through peaceful means.

Since some Taiwan politicians' pursuit of narrow political interests and "pro-independence" forces' increasingly aggressive behavior could make peaceful reunification impossible if the political situation in Taiwan does not change for the better, the mainland will have no option but to use force for reunification.

So the separatist and "pro-independence" forces better mend their ways and accept the inevitability of national reunification before it's too late.

Moreover, the mainland should take measures to warn the ruling Democratic Progressive Party on the island to not misjudge the situation and risk worsening cross-Straits relations by colluding with foreign forces such as the United States, which use Taiwan as a leverage to contain Beijing in order to fulfill their political goals.

Tang Yonghong, deputy director of the Taiwan Research Center, Xiamen University

Reunification high on the agenda

In his speech to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the mainland's Message to Taiwan Compatriots on Jan 2, President Xi Jinping mentioned "peaceful reunification" a record number of times in the five guidelines for future cross-Straits ties. This is unprecedented, as in their major speeches on the Taiwan question in the past, pervious top leaders commonly used peaceful development of cross-Straits ties instead of emphasizing peaceful reunification.

This shows the mainland has put national reunification high on its agenda to realize the Chinese Dream of national rejuvenation.

To realize peaceful reunification, the mainland has been making every possible effort to promote cross-Straits exchanges while targeting the "pro-independence" forces so as to nip their evil designs in the bud. Due to the growing aggressive behavior of the separatists, the mainland has been prompted to consider the use of force for reunification despite preferring peaceful reunification.

As stated in the Anti-Secession Law, enacted in 2005 specifically to address the Taiwan question, any attempt at "Taiwan independence" would be met with armed force.

Therefore, the "pro-independence" forces should know that, to achieve its political goals, the US may provide Taiwan with military equipment and intelligence to incite separatists on the island. But, at the same time, it should be clear to the ruling DPP that given the mainland's determination to achieve national reunification, it is unlikely that the US would send troops to engage in a head-on confrontation with the mainland.

Zhang Hua, an associate researcher at the Institute of Taiwan Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences