TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan and the Philippines are working to establish a mechanism for coast guard cooperation.
Since 2021, Taiwan has been training Philippine coast guard officers despite no formal agreement. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has been trying to finalize an MOU to strengthen cooperation in maritime security but nothing has been signed yet.
The CGA confirmed that the Philippine coast guard has sent officers to Taiwan’s Central Police University for several consecutive years, which helps enhance friendly ties, Liberty Times reported.
When asked whether the training includes how to deal with intruding Chinese fishing and coast guard vessels, the CGA declined to comment. However, the administration said the Philippine Coast Guard fleet commander was invited to observe a coastal drill in Kaohsiung last year.
Confrontations between the Philippine and Chinese coast guards in the South China Sea have ramped up in the past year, as neither Beijing nor Manila have relinquished territorial claims over islands in the South China Sea. In April, Chinese coast guard ships rammed a Philippine patrol vessel and fired water cannons near Scarborough Shoal.
Chinese coast guard ships have also been spotted near Kinmen Island multiple times in the past few months. On May 7, four Chinese coast guard ships entered the island’s prohibited waters for more than an hour before being chased away by Taiwan CGA ships.
Just two days later, 11 Chinese coast guard ships intruded into Kinmen's prohibited and restricted waters. They left the area after being shadowed by CGA ships for an hour and a half.