Seminar in Thailand explores building China-ASEAN blue economy partnership

BANGKOK, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- A seminar was held here on Tuesday to explore ways to build a China-ASEAN blue economy partnership.

Organized by the Hainan-based China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD), the Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies, and the Institute of East Asian Studies at Thailand's Thammasat University, the seminar covered various topics including cooperation in marine ranching, cruise tourism and port facilities.

Chi Fulin, head of CIRD, noted that given comprehensive strategic cooperation between China and ASEAN, building a China-ASEAN blue economy partnership will be conducive to forming a new pattern of ocean governance through marine cooperation, unleashing huge potentials of the ocean economy, thus supporting sustainable development.

Ong Tee Keat, president of Malaysia's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) Caucus for Asia Pacific, stressed the necessity for ASEAN and China to strengthen cooperation in the blue economy, which is largely in such areas as aquatic product trade. He called for more measures to achieve goals of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership Vision 2030.

Chaiwat Meesanthan, director of the Institute of East Asian Studies at Thammasat University, said that efforts could be made to deepen cooperation in marine ranching and fisheries industrial and supply chains, port facilities, infrastructure connectivity and training.

Guo Da, vice president of the Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies, said that Hainan Free Trade Port was well-positioned to spearhead cooperation in fisheries, cruise tourism, ocean ecosystem protection and resource exploration, port infrastructure connectivity and training, so as to yield results as soon as possible.