BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Friday said that the mainland coast guard's recent seizure of a Taiwan fishing boat suspected of illegal operations in waters near the city of Quanzhou was legitimate and lawful.

Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, made the remarks in response to a media query about slander from certain members of Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) regarding the issue.

He emphasized that the baseless accusations and political manipulations of certain DPP members are driven by malicious intent and will not contribute to solving the problem.