On June 4, jointly constructed by the SIO and the National Bureau of Mining and Strategic Industries of Madagascar, the China -Madagascar Continental Shelf Joint Laboratory was officially unveiled. Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Director of the State Oceanic Administration, RAZANANIRINA Henri Délice, Secretary General of the Ministry of Mines of Madagascar, Li Jiabiao, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, and more than 20 representatives, experts and scholars from China and Malaysia attended the ceremony, and Director Fang Yinxia presided over the launching ceremony.

As one of the first 10 joint laboratories between China and African countries approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology, the China -Madagascar Continental Shelf Joint Laboratory will conduct research on the tectonic evolution of the Madagascar continental margin and the delimitation effect of the continental shelf, process international cooperation voyage data between China and Madagascar, conduct international training and exchanges, and build a bridge for marine scientific research institutions and personnel of two countries in cooperation and help the sustainable development of the oceans. The laboratory director is Researcher Tang Yong, Vice Chairman of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and Director of Center for Exclusive Economic Zones and Continental Shelf Research of the SIO.

Vice Minister Sun Shuxian, Secretary General Delis, Academician Li Jiabiao and other guests jointly unveiled the plaque for the China -Madagascar Joint Laboratory at the meeting. The Laboratory Expert Committee was established simultaneously, with Academician Li Jiabiao serving as the scientific advisor, and Chen Danhong, Director of the International Cooperation Department of the Ministry of Natural Resources, serving as the Chairman. Tang Yong awarded appointment letters to the members of the Expert Committee and reported on the laboratory construction plan around scientific issues, research content and technical route, work foundation and goals concerned by the laboratory. The experts discussed the development direction of the laboratory.

We have cooperated with Madagascar in the field of continental shelf delimitation for a long history. As early as 2010, scientists from Madagascar visited the SIO to exchange ideas. In 2021, the SIO organized and implemented a joint survey voyage between China and Madagascar to obtain key data for the delimitation of the Madagascar continental shelf and the evolution of continental margin structures. Subsequently, we conducted technical training and voyage data analysis, held a seminar on the China -Madagascar continental margin, and deepened the level of cooperation. We officially handed over cooperative voyage data to Madagascar in 2023 and held a data processing training course, which was appreciated by the Ministry of Mines of Madagascar.

As an important measure for both sides to move towards substantive and in-depth cooperation in the field of continental shelf delimitation, the unveiling of the China -Madagascar Continental Shelf Joint Laboratory established on both sides, will add new highlights to the cooperation between China and Madagascar in marine science and technology through the Second Institute of Oceanography, MNR and the National Bureau of Mining and Strategic Industries of Madagascar.