The highest-ranking Taiwan Coast Guard official paid a courtesy visit Monday to the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) headquarters in Manila to establish better relations between the two maritime agencies.

Wang Ginn-Wang, chief of the Taiwan Coast Guard Administration, said he’s looking forward to a future tie up with the PCG particularly on search and rescue operations along their borders and to jointly maintain security against the threats of terrorism, human and drug smuggling and even combating piracy.

The PCG and the Taiwan Coast Guard signed a memorandum of understanding in 2008 to establish humanitarian cooperation along their borders. In the past, several distressed Taiwanese-flagged vessels were given assistance by the PCG. Likewise, the Taiwan Coast Guard also rescued distressed Philippine fishing vessels after encountering trouble at sea near their borders.