TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the United States discussed illegal fishing and joint rescue operations at their first virtual meeting since signing a coast guard cooperation agreement in March, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Wednesday (Aug. 11).

The memorandum was seen as a reaction to China’s new Coast Guard Law which gives its agents the right to fire weapons without prior warning. MOFA’s statement about Wednesday’s talks did not mention China directly, but referred to “Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated” (IUU) fishing and bilateral cooperation on rescue missions at sea, CNA reported.

The two countries agreed the meetings should become a regular event in order to discuss issues of mutual interest and to strengthen their capabilities to respond to seaborne challenges.