Coast guard denies it held joint drill with USBy Yu Tai-lang and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNAThe Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday denied reports that a joint military drill was held with the US off the coast of Hualien County, saying that the activity that took place was part of regular exercises to familiarize new vessels with sea conditions around Taiwan. If there had been a drill, it would have been the first since the two nations on March 25 signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish a joint coast guard working group. Photo: Yu Tai-lang, Taipei TimesInvolved in the exercise were the 4,000-tonne Chiayi (嘉義) heavy patrol vessel, the 1,000-tonne Taitung (台東) patrol vessel, the 600-tonne Chengkung (成功) medium patrol vessel and a 100-tonne coast guard vessel, the Liberty Times reported. The paper reported that a CGA official confirmed there was a joint exercise with the US, but refused to comment further as the matter involves sensitive information. The two sides preferred to maintain a low profile, as it was their first joint exercise, carried out ostensibly for rescue and counterterrorism purposes, the paper said.

Source: Taipei Times August 10, 2021 15:56 UTC