Four fishermen from mainland China were rescued by a Taiwanese fishing boat during a joint rescue operation in the waters north of the disputed Diaoyutai (Senkaku) islands, according to our Chinese-language sister newspaper Want Daily.
The rescue operation began following the sinking of a Chinese fishing boat on Sept. 17. The search crew several Chinese coast guard vessels and fishing boats was put under the command of the Ministry of Transport’s Donghai Rescue Bureau. Later on, Taiwan was also invited to join the operation.
The Donghai Rescue Bureau made contact with the Republic of China Coast Guard successfully through the Chinese Search and Rescue Association, a civilian run organization based in Taipei. Under the command of Keelung, a 600-ton rescue ship from the ROC coast guard, various Taiwanese vessels joined the search and rescue operation. Eventually, all four fishermen from mainland China were picked up by a Taiwanese fishing boat named Shunlihong.
The four fishermen were handed over to the Donghai Jiu 112 on Sept. 19. After launching several exercises together, the event wrapped up as the first actual joint rescue operation carried out by maritime security agencies across the Taiwan strait. Yiyang, a Type 054A guided-missile frigate, was near the disputed islands when the operation was still taking place.
While the ROC defense ministry maintains a staunch refusal to collobarate with the PLA in taking over the disputed island chain, the joint rescue operation could be considered a model for Beijing and Taipei to face non-traditional threats over the East China Sea in the future.
2014 WantChinaTimes.com