Beijing, China ? Chinese President Hu Jintao accused the Taiwanese leader of taking a “dangerous step” toward independence, and warned Tuesday that Beijing will never let the self-ruled island break with the communist mainland.

A stern series of Chinese statements, however, refrained from repeating Beijing’s threats to attack Taiwan, which it claims as part of its territory. The United States and Japan urged both sides to resume talks.

The Chinese criticism came in response to Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian’s decision Monday to abolish a committee responsible for unifying the island and the mainland.

“We will continue to strive for the prospect of peaceful unification, but we will never allow Taiwan to be split from the motherland,” state media quoted Hu as saying.

Chen “is determined to push ‘Taiwan independence’ to create antagonism and conflict within Taiwan and across the strait,” the ruling Communist Party said in a statement carried by the official Xinhua News Agency. “It will only bring disaster to Taiwan society.”