BEIJING, Nov. 7 (Xinhua) -- The China Coast Guard and the Philippines Coast Guard met in Beijing Tuesday to exchange ideas on cooperation and matters of mutual concern.
This is the first meeting of the Joint Coast Guard Committee on Maritime Cooperation established this February by the Chinese and Philippine coast guards to enhance mutual trust and expand cooperation.
The meeting was in implementation of a memorandum of understanding between the two coast guards on the establishment of the committee, which was signed in October last year witnessed by the presidents of China and the Philippines.
At the committee meeting, the two sides believed that developing friendly cooperative relations between coast guards of the two countries can help safeguard security and order at sea in this region and complies with the fundamental interests of the two countries and two peoples.
The two sides agreed to focus on cooperation like information exchange and capacity building in cracking down on cross-border maritime crimes, and in drug control as well as search and rescue at the sea.
It was also agreed that Coast Guard ships of the two countries will visit each other and conduct joint exercises in the first half of next year.
The committee is scheduled to hold its second meeting in Guangdong Province, south China, in the first half of 2018.