The sea and ocean are essential to all creatures. They play an important role not only for economic development, like tourism, fishery and marine transportation, but also in curbing climate change. Both China and Thailand are important maritime nations, whose coastal areas are greatly affected by climate change, including sea level rise, ground subsidence and natural disasters like typhoons and floods in recent years.

In 2013, the China-Thailand Joint Laboratory for Climate and Marine Ecosystem was officially launched in Phuket, Thailand. The laboratory and other joint research have established an international platform for China-Thailand marine cooperation, and facilitate marine science and technology cooperation, the protection of marine ecological environment and the sustainable development of marine resources. The laboratory sets an example for China and other ASEAN countries to implement marine cooperation.