Taiwan seeking to ‘hide the truth’

China yesterday accused Taiwanese authorities of "seeking to evade their responsibilities and hide the truth" after two Chinese nationals died in a boat incident last week.

"We solemnly demand relevant parties in Taiwan to release the truth as soon as possible," spokeswoman for Beijing's Taiwan Affairs Office Zhu Fenglian said in a statement published by state broadcaster CCTV.

The Chinese boat carrying four people capsized last week near Taiwan's Kinmen islands while pursued by the Taiwanese coast guard, throwing all onboard into the water.

Two of the crew died and the other two were rescued and temporarily detained in Kinmen -- a territory administered by Taipei but located just five kilometres from China's city of Xiamen.

Wu Cheng, a spokesperson for Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), told reporters yesterday that the party and its chairman Lai hope the aftermath of the boat incident can be "handled properly". Lai also "supports the Coast Guard's firm law enforcement in the future and... to study how to avoid similar situation from happening again", according to Wu.

Taiwan previously defended its actions by saying the Chinese boat was in prohibited waters, while China vowed to up "law enforcement patrol operations" and its coast guard officials briefly boarded a Taiwanese tourist ship on Monday.