Mainland coast guard operations safeguard navigation safety: spokesperson

BEIJING, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that the recent operations by the mainland coast guard are aimed at maintaining normal navigation order and safeguarding the lives and property of fishermen on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

Zhang Han, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, reiterated that both sides of the Strait belong to one China, and that Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, and Matsu are all parts of China, with so-called "prohibited or restricted waters" not existing, when responding to a media query.

Zhang said that for a long time, the Democratic Progressive Party authorities have ignored the historical and factual reality of fishermen from both sides of the Strait working together in traditional fishing grounds.

They have arbitrarily detained or treated mainland fishing vessels and crews in dangerous and rough ways, posing navigational risks and seriously threatening the lives and property of fishermen, the spokesperson added. ■