Taiwan and the mainland will begin their first high-level, joint marine rescue exercise today in waters near Taiwan's outlying island of Quemoy and the city of Xiamen , Fujian .
The exercise, between coastguards and other departments from the two sides, is not only another indication of closer cross-strait ties, but will also help lay the foundations for mutual trust between the two former rivals, analysts said. The drill involves more than 30 vessels, three helicopters and around 400 people from the two sides, according to organisers.
'The joint drill is actually a result of a consensus reached during the second cross-strait talks,' Taiwan's Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides held historic fence-mending talks in Beijing in mid-2008, followed by a second round in central Taiwan later that year, when they committed to co-operate in maritime search and rescue operations.
The CGA sent four patrol ships, including a 500-tonne patrol vessel, and a helicopter to Quemoy for the drill, and the Quemoy government was sending tugboats and other vessels.
The mainland coastguard, the Xiamen government and civilian rescue agencies were sending rescue vessels and helicopters, the CGA added. The Quemoy government was also involved in the drill in late 2008 with the mainland's Maritime Search and Rescue Centre.
The CGA said the drill would test the joint search and rescue efforts and examine the communication and emergency procedures of the two sides in the event of shipwrecks, collisions and other maritime accidents. To sidestep an unnecessary political dispute, the two sides agreed not to fly their respective flags, the CGA said.