Forum highlights importance of building 'Maritime Community with a Shared Future'

Senior diplomats and experts on national security and international issues held in-depth discussions in Shanghai on civil diplomacy, the historical logic and current challenges of building a maritime community of a shared future and the maritime order.

They were attending the first Shanghai Forum for a Maritime Community with a Shared Future at Shanghai Maritime University on Wednesday. The participants believed that the concept of building a maritime community with a shared future is in line with the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and goes beyond the traditional maritime power concept characterized by "zero-sum games."

This concept promotes the fine traditions of Chinese maritime culture and embodies Eastern wisdom such as "trustworthiness and harmony" and "benevolence and good neighborliness."

It has also injected new momentum into China's deepening of maritime exchanges and cooperation, promoting strengthened exchanges and mutual learning, and expanding the "circle of friends."

The concept carries China's proposal to improve the global maritime governance system and promote the development of global maritime governance in a more just and reasonable direction.

Apart from the main forum, four roundtables were also held, focusing on "together promoting maritime development, governance, cooperation, and security."

The attendees discussed the development of marine resources and the utilization of clean energy in the ocean, including innovative methods such as deep-sea scientific exploration and carbon trading, to promote the transformation of the "blue economy" and the sustainable development of the ocean.

They also focused on building multilateral consultation mechanisms, coordinating digital governance tools, and protecting marine biodiversity to promote shared responsibility for the ocean, as well as exploring innovative ways to solve the problem of "fragmentation" in maritime governance and maintain maritime security through regional maritime cooperation mechanisms.