The opening ceremony of the 2016 EAMCP Huangdao Forum on Tuesday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province. [Photo/chinadaily.com.cn]

A ceremony was held on Tuesday in Qingdao, Shandong province, to officially open a forum on the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, a high-level program under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

Themed "connectivity brings mutual win-win results", the 2016 EAMCP Huangdao Forum has five parallel events: the East Asia Industrial and Commercial Leaders Summit, East Asia Seaport Alliance Assembly, East Asia Culture and Arts Exhibition, East Asia Commodities Fair, and the East Asia Marine Summit Forum.

The EAMCP, proposed by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang at meetings between members from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and countries including China, South Korea and Japan, is aimed at creating a new era for maritime interactions.

In November 2013, the State Council, China's cabinet, announced Shandong province as the main base of operations for EAMCP and appointed the State Oceanic Administration to formulate plans for its construction.

In December 2015, the first EAMCP work meeting held in Beijing announced that construction of the EAMCP platform will be centered on Qingdao and be headquartered at Qingdao West Coast New Area.

"China advocated building the EAMCP in a bid to establish partnerships and a cooperative mechanism with all countries in the region," said Chen Lianzeng, deputy director of the State Oceanic Administration of China, at the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Chen suggested that all the countries should enhance practical cooperation in marine-related fields from disaster prevention to ecology, and security to cultural and economic factors.

As the starting point for the eastern route of 21st Century Maritime Silk Route Economic Belt, Qingdao, which is also a part of the new Eurasia Land Bridge, offers a strategic pivot point for China's maritime cooperation.

Zhang Xinqi, mayor of Qingdao, said there were good prospects for cooperation between the city and the ASEAN countries, as well as Japan and South Korea.

Qingdao will make great efforts to push forward with the EAMCP, Zhang added.

The Qingdao West Coast New Area was approved by the State Council as the ninth national-level new area in China's "new district strategy" in June 2014. The new area was assigned to carry out pilot innovation in marine technology, serve as a strategic base for deep-sea and offshore exploration, and become a pioneer in international cooperation for the marine economy.