BEIJING -- A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Wednesday that recent routine law-enforcement patrols by the Fujian Coast Guard in waters near Kinmen are both legitimate and necessary.

Zhang Han, spokesperson for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, reiterated at a press conference that both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to one China and that Taiwan is part of China.

Patrols in this area are legitimate efforts to maintain orderly navigation and operations in these waters in accordance with the law, and are necessary measures to protect the lives and property of fishermen across the Strait, Zhang said.

Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities have stubbornly clung to their "Taiwan independence" stance and continued to take dangerous and heavy-handed measures against mainland fishing vessels and fishermen, threatening their lives and property, the spokesperson added.

These acts by the DPP are the root cause that has undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and harmed the interests and well-being of people on both sides, Zhang said.

DPP authorities should immediately halt interference with mainland fishermen's normal activities and stop stirring up incidents or causing trouble, she warned.