By Liu Xin and Zheng Xin
MANILA, Jan.15 -- A vessel of the China Coast Guard (CCG), coded 5204, arrived in Manila, the Philippines for the friendly exchanges of the Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC) on Maritime Cooperation between the CCG and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on the morning of January 14. This is the first time that the CCG ship visited the Philippines.
The Philippine side held a grand welcome ceremony for the Chinese ship, which was attended by the leaders of the relevant departments of the Philippines and the staff member of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, as well as local people and overseas Chinese. Chiefs of the PCG boarded the Chinese ship 0524 and the two sides had a friendly and harmonious exchange of views.
In response to the recent eruption of the Taal Volcano near Manila, the CCG ship 0524 donated its reserved food and logistic supplies to the best of its ability for the affected people, and held a donation ceremony to express the most sincere concern for the Philippine people. Later, coast guard personnel from both side visited each other’s ships.
The third meeting of the Joint Coast Guard Committee (JCGC) on Maritime Cooperation kicked off on the afternoon of January 14. During the meeting, both sides will exchange in-depth views on maritime law enforcement cooperation and issues of common concern; summarize the achievements and experiences of the JCGC since its establishment; and discuss measures to strengthen cooperation in key areas such as combating transnational crimes at sea, maritime drug detection, maritime search and rescue, and humanitarian rescue. In addition, they will also conduct joint maritime search, rescue and fire-fighting drills, as well as a series of activities such as ship open day, friendly sports matches, and deck receptions.