Taiwan, Palau leaders inspect joint maritime rescue exercise

Ngerulmud, Palau, Dec. 6 (CNA) Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) and his Palauan counterpart Surangel Whipps Jr. on Friday inspected a joint exercise in waters near the Pacific Island nation where Coast Guard forces simulated a rescue mission involving a capsized fishing vessel.

The exercise was part of joint efforts to maintain maritime order following the signing of a cooperative agreement between Taiwan and Palau on coast guard exchanges and humanitarian rescue cooperation in 2019, Lai said in his remarks.

The president emphasized the importance of countries working together on maritime safety and humanitarian rescue, adding that Taiwan remained committed to collaborating with Palau and other democratic nations to contribute to regional stability and security.

Meanwhile, Whipps said the exercise demonstrated that the cooperation between Taiwan and Palau went beyond operational aspects and reflected their shared values and commitments.

To test the ability of the Coast Guards from Taiwan and Palau to jointly perform rescue missions at sea, the exercise had Coast Guard teams simulate scrambling to the aid of a capsized vessel and five crew members who had fallen into the sea.

The Yunlin, a 4,000-tonne Chiayi-class patrol vessel from Taiwan's Coast Guard, and two patrol boats that Taiwan gifted Palau in 2021 were involved in the exercise in waters near Malakal Island.

Ni Chih-chung (倪志忠), commander of the Yunlin, said maritime rescue "knows no borders" and that his vessel was working with those from other countries to ensure maritime safety and enhance the quality of humanitarian rescue operations in the face of rapidly changing situations at sea.

Lai arrived in Palau on Thursday afternoon (local time) for the last stop of his weeklong South Pacific tour, which also included stops in the U.S. state of Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and Guam.

Lai, who embarked on his first overseas trip as president on Nov. 30 (Taipei time), will return home on Friday evening.