When Zhang Yuyang, an associate researcher at the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, first dived into the waters off Port City Colombo in Sri Lanka in 2023, he was surprised by what he found.
Along a 3.7-kilometer artificial breakwater, coral had grown naturally, with schools of fish sheltering around it. Following a survey, he and his colleagues identified more than 70 coral species and 114 fish species in the relatively small area.
"We usually think of artificial structures as disturbances to the marine environment. But in Port City Colombo, the breakwater had created a favorable habitat for coral and attracted marine life," Zhang recalled.
To better promote coral reef restoration and protect the marine environment, Zhang and his colleagues have made nine visits to Sri Lanka since 2023, providing hands-on training to help local divers with coral restoration and maintenance.
Rather than simply introducing Chinese technology in coral cultivation, the project aims to equip Sri Lankan partners with the capacity to manage restoration activities themselves, while exploring ways to make environmental protection economically sustainable.
By August 2026, more than 8,880 corals of 17 species had been cultivated in about 346 square meters of landscape nurseries. The underwater scenery has also helped develop marine ecotourism.
Part of the tourism revenue will go toward conservation in order to establish a sustainable cycle in which environmental protection and economic development reinforce each other, Zhang said.
"Restoring coral reefs is meaningful in itself," Zhang said, adding that he also hopes the project could eventually serve as a model for sharing Chinese marine restoration technologies and expertise with other countries.
Jayanath Colombage, former commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, said the coral reef restoration program is a good example of how infrastructure development can also bring environmental benefits.
"We are very happy, and the environment is very happy, because the corals are growing, and fish have a new home to live in. And this is a brilliant, beautiful experience for the protection of the marine environment."
"The ocean is important to all of us," he said, adding that China's growing marine research and exploration capabilities should benefit the wider international community.
These hands-on, joint efforts regarding the oceans vividly show President Xi Jinping's vision of building a maritime community with a shared future.
For Xi, the planet that humans inhabit is not divided into islands by the oceans, but is connected by the oceans to form a community with a shared future, where people of all countries share weal and woe.
The vision calls for countries to jointly safeguard maritime peace, address common challenges and pursue sustainable ocean development through cooperation.
Ding Duo, director of the Research Center for International and Regional Issues at the National Institute for South China Sea Studies, said that the concept provides a framework for addressing mounting challenges in global ocean governance by emphasizing the equality of countries of different sizes, the provision of maritime public goods and collective responses to shared challenges.
With climate change, marine pollution, biodiversity loss and maritime security risks increasingly intertwined, traditional approaches that are centered narrowly on national interests are insufficient, he said.
The concept encourages countries to view the oceans not as an arena for geopolitical competition, but as a platform for cooperation and mutual benefit, Ding said, adding that in this way, more effort could be devoted to better exploring the ocean.
In the field of ocean governance, the Global Governance Initiative, proposed last year by President Xi, also provides a guiding framework for China to deepen its participation in global maritime affairs and contribute to shaping the future direction of global ocean governance, Ding said.
The initiative responds to the aspirations of developing countries for a greater voice in global ocean governance, while promoting collective solutions to challenges shared by the international community, he said.
Denis Simon, a senior research fellow in the East Asia program at the Washington, DC-based Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, said that regarding all global governance initiatives, whether in artificial intelligence or the oceans, the Chinese definition of global leadership is a much more multilateral and shared kind of leadership.
China could further clarify its approach to global governance and the role it intends to play to build trust between various parties, in order to avoid suspicions that naturally arise when a major country tries to assume a critical role in areas such as ocean governance, he added.
As a major maritime power, China has vast interests in the oceans and shoulders a responsibility to promote constructive cooperation, Simon said.
From restoring coral reefs overseas to strengthening marine research partnerships and helping shape international rules, China is actively participating in global ocean governance through practical cooperation.
Between 2018 and 2025, China invested more than 23 billion yuan ($3.45 billion) in international development cooperation related to the blue economy, according to a report released by the China International Development Cooperation Agency in September.
China has established blue partnerships with more than 50 countries and international organizations, developed cooperation platforms with partners in Africa and Southeast Asia, and implemented more than 100 small-yet-beautiful livelihood cooperation projects, according to Sun Shuxian, vice-minister of natural resources.
Beyond cooperation projects, China has also sought a larger role in shaping the international frameworks governing ocean conservation.
In January, the Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction took effect, and China has applied to host the agreement's secretariat in Xiamen, Fujian province.
"It's the first time we have had a multilateral treaty that provides for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction," said Ronan Long, director of the WMU-Sasakawa Global Ocean Institute at World Maritime University in Malmo, Sweden.
He emphasized China's responsibilities in protecting the marine environment, supporting freedom of navigation, tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and developing ocean observation technologies to promote the sustainable use of the ocean.
zhoujin@chinadaily.com.cn
