Chen Binhua, spokesman for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council [Photo/Xinhua]

A Chinese mainland spokesperson said on Friday that one of the individuals from Kinmen rescued earlier by the mainland coast guard is an active member of Taiwan region's military forces and cannot temporarily return to Kinmen due to "deliberately fabricating false occupational information".

The man, surnamed Hu, did not truthfully state his identity and deliberately fabricated false occupational information to conceal his true status, requiring further verification by the relevant mainland authorities, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office.

In a statement, Chen said that on early Monday morning, the Fujian coast guard discovered an unnamed fishing boat in distress in the waters of Weitou Bay and rescued two individuals, both from Kinmen.

"We practice the concept of 'both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family,' and in recent days have provided medical assistance and humanitarian care to the two people, offering them meticulous services and allowing them to call their families to report their safety," he said.

Another man surnamed Wu has already been sent back to Kinmen by relevant Fujian authorities today, the spokesperson said.

Chen emphasized that compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are bound by blood and have always come to each other's aid in emergencies, as it has always been and should rightly be.