From December 15 to 16, the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Blue Economy Development Cooperation Forum was held in Kunming, Yunnan. The China-Indian Ocean Region Marine Cooperation and Training Center, relying on the SIO, was officially inaugurated.

The China-Indian Ocean Region Marine Cooperation and Training Center (the “China-Indian Center”) is a regional marine cooperation and training platform established relying on the SIO under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the China International Development Cooperation Agency. The center will work with other marine institutions under the Ministry of Natural Resources to jointly carry out cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean region in marine observation and forecasting, marine spatial planning, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine ecological protection and restoration, sustainable development of the blue economy and other marine fields, as well as relevant training and exchange, and other capacity building and case promotion, thus contributing to sustainable marine development in the Indian Ocean region.

At the forum, Senate President Farley of Barbados, Vice President Latheef of Maldives, Vice Minister Sun Shuxian of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China, Director Luo Zhaohui of the China International Development Cooperation Agency, Professor Kouadio Affian, Chair of the African Sub-Committee of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, and Fang Yinxia, Director of the SIO, jointly inaugurated the China-Indian Ocean Region Marine Cooperation and Training Center.

The SIO previously had international cooperation platforms such as the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center, the China-Zanzibar Joint Research Center, the China-Madagascar Continental Shelf Joint Laboratory, and the China-Africa Marine Science and Blue Economy Cooperation Center. The China-Indian Center will become the first international cooperation platform spanning Asia and Africa for the SIO, playing a crucial role in strengthening the cooperation between the SIO and countries in the region and expanding the international cooperation network and content.