Mainland police seek information on 2 suspected Taiwan smugglers

BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that police are seeking information on two Taiwan residents suspected of smuggling frozen goods to the mainland.

The two, surnamed Chien and Chen, operated the Togo-registered "Hong Tai 58" and other boats to engage in smuggling activities for a long time, according to Peng Qing'en, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, citing a police notice issued by the public security bureau of Weihai, Shandong province, on Wednesday.

Peng criticized a false claim by Taiwan's Democratic Progressive Party authorities that the mainland had operated "Hong Tai 58" to sabotage an undersea cable off Taiwan in an incident in February.

The DPP has maliciously hyped the incident by invoking the so-called "gray-zone tactics" of the mainland in an attempt to stir cross-Strait confrontation, Peng said, warning that the DPP would pay the price for harboring smugglers and engaging in political manipulation to undermine cross-Strait relations.