China-Island Countries Maritime Cooperation Forum opens in Pingtan, Fujian Province to discuss sustainable island governance

China News Service, Pingtan, Fujian, November 4 (Reporter Yan Xu) The China-Island Countries Ocean Cooperation Forum opened on the 4th in the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone, Fujian. About 180 people, including government officials, representatives of marine management departments, representatives of international organizations, and experts and scholars from more than 20 countries, gathered to discuss sustainable island governance and marine cooperation.

With the theme of "Building Harmonious Islands and Sharing Blue Prosperity", this forum is co-sponsored by the Island Research Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, the Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone Management Committee, and the China Ocean Development Foundation.

Xu Guodong, director of the Department of Sea Areas and Island Management of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, said that China will continue to improve the island governance system and continuously improve the level of comprehensive island management. China is willing to share island development opportunities and governance experience with island countries, strengthen scientific and technological cooperation and project collaboration, jointly respond to risks and challenges, and work together to protect our blue homeland.

Vaipo Mataola, Permanent Secretary of the Cook Islands Ministry of Infrastructure, believes that maritime cooperation must adhere to the principles of pragmatism, inclusiveness and mutual benefit, and build stronger institutions, safer communities and healthier oceans for future generations through mutually respectful partnerships, knowledge sharing and sustained actions.

The Island Research Center of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China released the "Phase Results Report on the Construction of China's Harmonious Islands" at the forum. The report pointed out that after three years of construction, the ecological safety barriers of China's first batch of 33 Hemei islands have been further strengthened, the livability level has been further improved, the island's green and shared wealth industry transformation has begun to show scale, and the disaster prevention and reduction capabilities have been further improved.

The forum also released the "List of Cooperation Measures for Marine Disaster Prevention and Reduction between China and Island Countries (2026-2028)". The United Nations "Oceans Decade" "Island Governance Toolkit" project and the "Caribbean Marine Spatial Planning and Blue Economy Integration" project were signed at the forum to promote deeper and more practical cooperation between China and island countries in the fields of marine science and technology, disaster prevention and reduction, and blue economy.