Experts call for building maritime community with a shared future

SHANGHAI, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Experts from across China gathered on Wednesday to advocate for building a maritime community with a shared future, highlighting China's capacity to play a positive role in fostering maritime cooperation, governance, and security.

Approximately 200 guests from universities, the shipping industry and research institutes attended the inaugural Shanghai Forum for a Maritime Community with a Shared Future, held at Shanghai Maritime University.

In an initiative issued at the event, participants called for joint efforts to protect mankind's blue homeland and build a shared blue future, advocating for enhanced maritime security awareness, regulated development of marine resources, protection of the marine ecological environment, safe and orderly maritime navigation, safeguarding of national maritime rights and interests, and the maintenance of peace and stability at sea.

Held under the theme "Win-Win Blue Future: China's Solution and the Global Vision," the forum commemorates the sixth anniversary of China's introduction of the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future, first proposed in April 2019.

Participants believed that the maritime community with a shared future is a key part of the community with a shared future for mankind, a concept put forward by China. It upholds the exemplary traditions of China's maritime civilization, reflecting the Asian approach of mutual respect, consensus-building, and consideration for the comfort of all parties, contributing China's strength to the advancement of global maritime civilization.

The concept also generates fresh impetus for enhanced maritime exchanges and cooperation, and articulates China's vision for advancing global ocean governance.

Senior diplomats and experts engaged in discussions on a wide range of topics, including people-to-people diplomacy, international maritime cooperation, the evolving global situation and ocean governance.

Industry leaders, maritime economists, technology specialists, and maritime law scholars participated in roundtable dialogues centered on topics such as the sustainable development of marine resources, the use of clean ocean energy, multilateral consultation frameworks, the protection of marine biodiversity, and the enhancement of maritime security through innovative governance mechanisms. Enditem