Taiwanese group sends emergency call to revive cross-strait sea rescue drills

The head of a Taiwanese sea search-and-rescue group has called on both sides of the Taiwan-strait" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="5508" data-entity-type="location">Taiwan Strait to work together on maritime rescue drills.Yin Liu-sheng, secretary general of the Taiwan-based volunteer group Chinese Search and Rescue Association, said in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Sunday that “Maritime search and rescue should remain completely above politics” and that Beijing and Taipei should cooperate “to ensure the safety of life and property of vessels navigating the Taiwan-strait" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="5508" data-entity-type="location">Taiwan Strait”.“Maritime search-and-rescue operations are time-critical, and both sides should ensure that rescue hotlines remain open at all times, allowing timely communication on maritime emergencies in the Taiwan-strait" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="5508" data-entity-type="location">Taiwan Strait,” Yin said at an event organised as part of the Straits Forum.