HAIKOU /China/, June 18. /TASS/. The Hainan Maritime Safety Administration this week recognized a foreign ship captain competency certificate for the first time. This was reported by the Hainan Daily newspaper.
According to the article, this case was also the first official recognition of this kind of document in China. The material notes that the recognized foreign certificate of competence "belongs to a sailor of Chinese citizenship."
The article calls this decision "another measure to optimize the control system of Hainan free trade port." It also states that the ship's captain's certificate was obtained in Singapore. The document was issued on the basis of bilateral interstate agreement on mutual recognition of such certificates.
The confirmation of the foreign document means that the captain has the right to operate the ship registered in China. Besides, in accordance with the norms of international law and China–Singapore relations, similar foreign certificates of the first mate of the captain, chief engineer and his deputy can now be recognized in China.
In recognizing relevant foreign certificates there is one rule; sailors must take professional development courses and pass an exam organized by Chinese government agencies, the paper wrote.
On April 13, 2018, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the establishment of an experimental free trade zone and port on Hainan. The goal of the program is to bring the island into the process of globalization and international labor distribution and to lay a solid foundation for innovation. Local authorities are creating an attractive climate for investors and developing research and production infrastructure. According to the government plan, by 2025 the entrepreneurial climate in the province will reach an advanced level by national standards, and in 2050 the region will become a unique international cluster with an advanced economy, housing the campuses of leading universities, advanced laboratories and the headquarters of global corporations.