On December 15–16, the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Blue Economy Cooperation Forum was held in Kunming, Yunnan Province. During the forum, the China-Indian Ocean Region Maritime Cooperation and Training Center, established with the support of our institute, was officially inaugurated.
The China-Indian Ocean Region Marine Cooperation and Training Center (hereinafter referred to as the CIOR Center) is a regional cooperation and training platform established under the guidance of the Ministry of Natural Resources and the China International Development Cooperation Agency and hosted by our institute. The Center will work together with other marine agencies of the Ministry to collaborate with countries in the Indian Ocean region in areas such as marine observation and forecasting, marine spatial planning, marine disaster prevention and mitigation, marine ecological protection and restoration, and sustainable blue economy development. It will also carry out capacity-building activities including training, technical exchanges, and case demonstrations, contributing to the region’s sustainable ocean development.
At the forum, Barbados Senate President Reginald Farley, Maldives Vice President Hussain Latheef, China’s Vice Minister of Natural Resources and Administrator of the National Marine Administration Sun Shuxian, Head of the China International Development Cooperation Agency Luo Zhaohui, Chair of the UNESCO/IOC Sub Commission for Africa & the Adjacent Island States Prof. Kwame Odame-Affian, and Director General of SIO Fang Yinxia jointly unveiled the plaque for the CIOR Center.
Our institute has previously established several international cooperation platforms, including the China-Pakistan Joint Research Center, the China-Zanzibar Joint Research Center, the China-Madagascar Continental Shelf Joint Laboratory, and the China-Africa Maritime Science and Blue Economy Cooperation Center. The newly launched CIOR Center represents our institute’s first international cooperation platform spanning both Asia and Africa. It will play a significant role in strengthening collaboration with countries in the Indian Ocean region and expanding our global cooperation network and areas of engagement.