KUALA LUMPUR, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Building a China-ASEAN blue economy big common market holds vast potential for China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to create a "blue engine" to expand economic growth and to deepen regional economic integration, participants at a forum here heard on Monday.
The seminar on "Jointly Building a New Engine for China-ASEAN Blue Economy" focused on such topics as the value and the development of marine resources, and cooperation in the shipping industry through smart ports and environmentally sustainable practices.
The seminar brought together around 40 representatives from governmental bodies, industry and academia from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) Director-General Monaliza Suhaimi said in her remarks that the China-ASEAN blue economy partnership not only aligns with deepening cooperation between China and ASEAN, but also reflects their shared priorities of economic growth, security, and sustainability.
China Institute for Reform and Development (CIRD) president Professor Chi Fulin emphasized that the blue economy represents a common market for China and ASEAN, serving as a key driver for economic growth, trade cooperation, and industrial transformation.
He underscored the need to build a common market led by marine tourism, encompassing common markets for marine tourism, marine fisheries, renewable energy, and emerging fields such as marine biological resource development.
To achieve this, he called for strengthening connectivity of marine infrastructure with ports as the focal point, extending RCEP trade and economic rules to cover the maritime sector, and establishing a cooperative governance framework guided by ecological and resource conservation.
The seminar was co-hosted by CIRD, Institute of Asian Studies of China Foreign Affairs University (CFAU), and MIMA, with the Department of International and Strategic Studies of Universiti Malaya as co-organizer, and Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies (HIFTPS) as supporting organization.
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