TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese firefighters and their Filipino and Fijian counterparts began a joint training program on collapsed-structure search and rescue at the National Fire Agency Training Center in Nantou on Monday, according to a press release.

The Taiwan-Asia Exchange Foundation co-hosted the program with the National Fire Agency.

Forty-six Filipino firefighters and seven Fijian firefighters will take part in several days of advanced training and professional exchanges, according to TAEF. The program is “a new milestone in trilateral disaster response cooperation” and expands Taiwan’s partnerships with other regional countries such as Fiji, TAEF added.

Since 2023, TAEF and the National Fire Agency have co-hosted similar training programs with Japan, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Fiji’s participation strengthens Taiwan’s goal of Indo-Pacific resilience and “its commitment to building a people-centered, cross-border disaster cooperation framework,” TAEF said.