TAIPEI (Taiwan News) —China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) raised regional tensions on Wednesday (Feb. 21) by claiming the Taiwan Coast Guard “rammed” a speedboat in an incident that resulted in the death of two Chinese.

The Feb. 14 incident involved four men in a small powerboat who were reportedly thrown overboard when it capsized. The group was attempting to flee the Taiwan Coast Guard in restricted waters off the coast of Kinmen.

The TAO statement said that Taiwanese authorities have not been transparent about the incident. TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian (朱鳳蓮) said that Taiwan should “tell the truth” about what happened and that Taiwan Coast Guard officers involved should be punished.

"We strongly condemn the Taiwan side's rough treatment of mainland fishermen, strongly condemn the Taiwan side's malicious action of ignoring life and enforcing the law by force while deliberately concealing the truth,” Zhu said, per AFP.

Also on Wednesday, video footage of the two surviving men in the boat was aired on Chinese television. One of the men claimed that a Taiwan Coast Guard vessel “rammed” the speedboat, which caused it to capsize.

After the incident, the Taiwan Coast Guard said that the officers involved acted according to protocol.

Details of the incident are still unclear, as the Taiwan Coast Guard vessel was not equipped with video recording devices. It has also not been publicly explained what the four men were doing in the small powerboat when the Taiwan Coast Guard was alerted to their presence.

In the days following the incident, China announced it would increase patrols around Kinmen. On Monday (Feb. 19), Chinese coast guard officers also illegally boarded a Taiwanese tourist vessel, further raising tensions around Kinmen.

The U.S. Department of State has urged both sides to use restraint, while Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense has indicated it will not increase its military presence in Kinmen at this time to avoid further escalation.