A shared maritime future: How China advances ocean governance, cooperation

Developed by the Department of Ecology and Environment in east China's Zhejiang Province and Zhejiang Lanjing Technology Co., Ltd., Blue Circle, a marine plastic recycling program initiated in 2020, is China's largest program of its kind.

Using blockchain technology and the Internet of Things, the initiative comprehensively monitors the entire life cycle of plastic pollution, encompassing collection, regeneration, re-manufacturing and resale.

In 2023, it received the UN 2023 Champions of the Earth award in the category of Entrepreneurial Vision for its efforts to tackle marine plastic pollution. According to the UN Environment Programme, the award is the UN's highest environmental honor.

China's wisdom and solutions to marine environmental pollution have articulated the country's contribution to advancing global ocean governance.

"The blue planet humans inhabit is not divided into islands by the oceans, but is connected by the oceans to form a community with a shared future, where people of all countries share weal and woe," Chinese President Xi Jinping once said.

In 2019, Xi put forward the vision of building a maritime community with a shared future to address common threats and challenges at sea. As an extension and essential part of the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind, this vision has offered Chinese wisdom and solutions to respond to marine environmental pollution, promoted the development of the "blue economy" and generated fresh impetus for enhanced maritime exchanges and cooperation.

Contributing to global maritime governance

For years, China has actively contributed to global maritime governance through in-depth collaboration with the UN and regional organizations, demonstrating its commitment through pragmatic actions.

China was among the first countries to sign the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in December 1982. Since then, the country has fully and faithfully implemented the UNCLOS, playing an active role as a participant, builder, and contributor to the Convention and its mechanisms.

In accordance with the provisions and spirit of UNCLOS, China has introduced a series of maritime laws such as the Law on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Law on the Exclusive Economic Zone and the Continental Shelf, and the Marine Environment Protection Law, aimed at strengthening the protection of the marine environment and preservation of marine resources. 

The country has also actively engaged in cooperation on marine scientific research. China has built joint maritime research centers with the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Pakistan and Tanzania, among others, and assisted Nigeria, Mozambique, Seychelles and Madagascar in conducting scientific research on the continental shelf.

Through its participation in the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030), China has contributed its share to advancing the knowledge and protection of the ocean.

The concept of a maritime community with a shared future is not only a public good offered by China to the international community but also an active contribution to the development of international maritime law, said Yang Zewei, professor at Wuhan University School of Law.

Deeper maritime economic cooperation

Guided by the vision of building a maritime community with a shared future, China has delivered on its commitment to promoting sustainable marine development, fostering a "blue economy" based on shared benefits, and expanding deeper maritime economic cooperation with other countries.

Over the past decade, China has signed maritime cooperation agreements with more than 50 Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries and international organizations.

For example, the China-aided seawater desalination plant in Gwadar district of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province will provide 5,000 tonnes per day of potable water, meeting the water needs of tens of thousands of residents.

China has also established "blue partnerships" with countries such as Portugal, Seychelles and Mozambique, focusing on cooperation in areas such as the "blue economy" and marine technology.

The Maritime Silk Road has continued to expand. By the end of June 2023, it had reached 117 ports in 43 countries, with more than 300 well-known Chinese and international shipping companies, port enterprises and think tanks, among other bodies, having joined the Maritime Silk Road.

"By expanding maritime practical cooperation and fully tapping into the ocean's potential, we can turn the ocean into an inexhaustible source of sustainable development for all," said Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in 2024.