The ROC Coast Guard Administration under the Executive Yuan conducted a humanitarian rescue exercise in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands Nov. 29 in accordance with President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy concerning the South China Sea, namely,
1. Disputes in the South China Sea should be peacefully resolved in accordance with international law and the law of the sea, including UNCLOS.
2. Taiwan should be included in multilateral mechanisms aimed at settling disputes.
3. Countries concerned have an obligation to ensure the freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea.
4. Disputes in the South China Sea should be resolved by shelving disputes and promoting joint development.
Five measures are in place to implement this policy. These cover making Taiping Island into a base for the provision of humanitarian aid and logistical support; enhanced protection of fishing rights and fishermen’s safety; multilateral talks with related countries; greater scientific collaboration; and the cultivation of more experts on the law of the sea.
The Coast Guard Administration released the following statement Nov. 30 regarding the exercise:
CGA conducts Taiping Island humanitarian rescue exercise
The ROC Coast Guard Administration and other agencies carried out a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief exercise, Operation Nanyuan No. 1, on Taiping Island and in its relevant waters in the Nansha (Spratly) Islands Nov. 29.
Three aircraft, eight vessels, and 336 persons took part in the exercise, which simulated a foreign-flagged cargo ship on fire, with five injured people jumping overboard. In addition to the CGA, the Ministries of Transportation and Communications, National Defense, and Health and Welfare, as well as the National Rescue Command Center, participated in the drill, marking the first such ROC cross-agency humanitarian exercise in the South China Sea.
The exercise, conducted as part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s policy to transform Taiping Island into a base for the provision of humanitarian aid and logistical support, demonstrated the efficacy of the government’s mechanism for cross-agency cooperation and its humanitarian assistance/disaster relief capabilities in the South China Sea.
Since the CGA took over administration of the Dongsha (Pratas) and Nansha Islands in 2000, it has conducted 70 humanitarian assistance/disaster relief missions, aiding 100 people, including 23 operations assisting 25 people in the relevant waters of the Nanshas. The CGA will continue to carry out humanitarian rescue exercises in the area while expanding humanitarian assistance/disaster relief cooperation with neighboring countries, making Taiping Island a center for humanitarian aid and logistical support.
For the Coast Guard Administration video on the Nov. 29 exercise, please see the Executive Yuan YouTube channel ( https://youtu.be/pu0UzoMbvME?t=4m39s ).