BEIJING, Feb. 23 (Xinhua) -- A Chinese mainland spokesman confirmed Wednesday that Beijing police are interrogating 14 Taiwan people in connection with a transnational phone fraud case.

Mainland police had maintained close contact with Taiwan counterparts on the investigation, said Yang Yi, spokesman for the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office, at a regular press conference.

Mainland police escorted 24 suspects back from the Philippines, including 14 Taiwan residents, early this month.

They were allegedly involved in a phone fraud ring that had taken 140 million yuan (21 million U.S. dollars) since October 2010 by cheating more than 450 people in 21 mainland provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

"The mainland authorities would like to communicate with the Taiwan side through a proper channel about how to handle developments in this case," Yang said.

The mainland authorities hoped the two sides could handle the case appropriately so as to maintain the peaceful development of cross-Strait relations, to protect cross-Strait exchanges and the benefits of people on both sides, and to advance cross-Strait judicial cooperation, he said.