World Ocean Week kicks off

Focusing on maritime industries, the international event looks to promote cooperation in all matters marine

Cooperation with regions along the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, especially members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is the focus of the ongoing 2016 World Ocean Week in Xiamen, taking place from Nov 4 to 10 in the coastal city in East China's Fujian province.

The event comprises international forums on the maritime industry, maritime exhibitions and marine cultural activities.

The theme of this year's event is "Jointly Building the Maritime Silk Road: New Vision New Landscape". As ASEAN member countries are the core part of China's Belt and Road Initiative, cooperation with the region is the highlight of this year's World Ocean Week, according to the event organizers.

Wang Hong, head of the State Oceanic Administration, spoke highly of the event's role during the opening ceremony on Nov 4.

"The World Ocean Week is an important platform for ocean dialogues," Wang said.

Maritime center

At the 2016 International Ocean Forum and the sixth Ministerial Forum on Marine Sustainable Development for Developing Countries - major sections of the World Ocean Week - on Friday, an agreement for jointly building the China-ASEAN Marine Cooperation Center was signed between officials from the State Oceanic Administration and the Fujian provincial government.

Premier Li Keqiang proposed the marine cooperation center when he attended the 17th China-ASEAN Leaders Meeting in Myanmar in November 2014.

The center will be a platform for multilateral cooperation in the areas of marine industry trade and investment, maritime research, environmental protection, disasters prevention and mitigation, maritime management, personnel training and other interconnectivity affairs.

Zhang Yigong, deputy mayor of Xiamen, said the China-ASEAN Marine Cooperation Center is of strategic significance.

"The move is an essential part of the Belt and Road Initiative. The center will serve as an efficient and important link between China and ASEAN members," Zhang said.

During the forum, officials and experts from Xiamen, Fujian province, the State Oceanic Administration and ASEAN member states also discussed a broad range of issues relating to maritime development cooperation.

Forums and festivals

According to the event's organizers, major activities for regional cooperation will also include the China-ASEAN Conference on Fisheries Cooperation in the South China Sea and the Marine Disaster Prevention and Reduction Forum, both on Saturday.

In addition to China-ASEAN cooperation, there are also several forums and meetings for multilateral cooperation in the maritime fields.

Another focus at the event is the Regional Workshop on Catalyzing Blue Economy Investment in East Asia on Saturday, sponsored by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia organization and co-organized by the PEMSEA Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development.

As a network for local governments, PNLG has 45 members and has set its secretariat in Xiamen since 2006.

The workshop aims to highlight investment opportunities in blue economy in the region and help establish connections among financers, investors and project proponents with investment proposals.

Also on Saturday, the 2016 South-South Cooperation Ocean Forum will take place, with delegates from a number of developing countries discussing matters relating to marine economic development.

Cultural and tourist activities are also planned for Ocean Week, including a kite festival, concerts and various tours.

A hub city

The host city of Xiamen is one of the hub cities along the Maritime Silk Road. Its maritime industry, which includes sectors such as port transportation and logistics, maritime tourism, fishing and aquaculture, and exploration of other marine resources, is regarded as the most important pillar of Xiamen's economy.

The total value of Xiamen's maritime industry in 2015 hit 189.06 billion yuan ($27.89 billion), 8 percent growth from the previous year, according to the city's statistics bureau.

The added value - or gross profit - of the industry was 49.82 billion yuan last year, representing 11.2 percent growth year-on-year and equivalent to 14.4 percent of the city's total GDP.

To boost the sectors' development, the city government has outlined plans to integrate the harbor, tourism, fishing and other marine resources to form a complete industrial chain and make it one of the fundamental powers in Xiamen's overall economy, according to the Xiamen Ocean and Fishery Bureau.

To support the maritime industry's development, Xiamen is also placing emphasis on upgrading a public technology service platform in this area, said the bureau.

It added that the Southern Oceanic Innovation Base that opened in April last year offers support to new, innovative enterprises in the industry. It shares information based on oceanic surveys conducted by Xiamen University and Jimei University, as well as other marine research institutions.

The public technology platform offers services relating to 17 subject fields.

At the same time, the local government has also provided financial support to a marine industry venture capital fund to attract private capital into the local marine industry, said the bureau's officials.

Focusing on cultivating a number of innovative enterprises in their start-up or growing stages, the government has also provided them with special loans, according to the officials.

Li You, Ren Xiaojin and Zhang Yi contributed to the story.

zhaoshijun@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily 11/05/2016 page7)