"
 Alternatively, we can have ""the PRC ... has not renounced the use of force should Taiwan declare independence"", which is sometimes used by local media here (I find ""non-peaceful means"" euphemistic and ""force"" to be a fair synonym). I think that's a fairly accurate representation of the current situation. The PRC has not actively threatened military action in a good while (what with the improvement of cross-strait relations under the current KMT administration), but they have never renounced its use, either, and it remains highly relevant in political dynamics and other things.   "