HAIKOU, November 10. /TASS/. The resort city of Sanya on the southern coast of South China's Hainan province held the Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance 2021 on November 9-10. As reported by China News Service, the experience of international cooperation in the South China Sea was discussed with particular attention.
The event was organized by the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), the China-Southeast Asia Research Center on the South China Sea in cooperation with the China Ocean Development Foundation. The symposium was held both in person and online and was attended by about 800 people.
The issues discussed included coordinating multilateral efforts to overcome global challenges, ensuring security and improving legal standards in maritime cooperation. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi delivered a speech via a video message at the opening of the symposium.
"The ocean is the heritage of all countries. We must care and love it, cherish it as our own life," the diplomat stressed. According to the Chinese Foreign Minister, the global community should strengthen coordination, "facilitate the creation of a platform for maritime cooperation, create new incentives for the recovery of the global economy."
As NISCSS Director Wu Shicun clarified, eliminating disagreements in maritime cooperation is an extremely important task, as such problems affect the geopolitical interests of many states. He recalled such pressing issues as the coordination of navigation regimes, respect for national sovereignty and mutual benefits in the development of ocean resources.
The Global Maritime Cooperation Symposium was held in Hainan for the second time. It was first held in November 2020 in Haikou, the provincial capital, with more than 500 people from 28 countries attending the event. This included representatives of government agencies and public organizations as well as respected experts