On May 22, the 6th Sino-Africa Forum on Marine Science and Technology opened in Hangzhou under the theme of Innovation-driven Sustainable Marine Development. Guided by the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the forum was co-hosted by SIO, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Sub-Commission for Africa and Adjacent Island States (IOC-Africa), and the China Ocean Development Foundation. More than 200 participants, including government officials, academicians, industrial specialists and enterprise representatives from 13 countries, relevant international organizations and domestic marine sectors, gathered in Hangzhou. They discussed pathways for coordinated China-Africa marine scientific and technological development as well as blue economy cooperation, to jointly draw a new blueprint for sustainable marine development.
Fang Yinxia, Director General of the SIO, host modulated the opening ceremony
Mr. Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of MNR and Administrator of the State Oceanic Administration; Mr. He Zhongwei, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province; Mr. Estêvão Rafael Pale, Minister of the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy of Mozambique; Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of IOC; and Amb. Hellen Gichuhi, Chair of IOC-Africa, along with other distinguished guests, attended the opening ceremony and delivered remarks.
Sun Shuxian, Vice Minister of MNR, delivered a remark
He Zhongwei, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province, delivered a remark
Estêvão Rafael Pale, Minister of MRE, Mozambique, delivered a remark
Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the IOC, delivered a remark
Sun Shuxian pointed out that China and Africa, as core forces of the Global South, have stood together over the past 70 years of diplomatic ties, with bilateral blue partnership continuously deepening. Taking the 15th Five-Year Plan marine development plan as an opportunity, China will adhere to the principles of innovation-driven development, coordinated efficiency, industrial upgrading, harmony between humanity and the ocean, and win-win cooperation. It will further deepen cooperation with African countries in marine scientific research, disaster prevention and mitigation, blue economy and ecological protection, participate in global ocean governance in an in-depth manner, and jointly build a China-Africa community with a shared future for a new era.
He Zhongwei noted that Zhejiang is a major province with a robust marine economy. Its gross ocean product exceeded 1.28 trillion yuan in 2025, and its Blue Circular Model has won the UN Champions of the Earth Award. Taking this forum as a new starting point, Zhejiang is ready to leverage its strengths in marine science and technology as well as the digital economy to advance all-round, multi-level and wide-ranging marine scientific and technological cooperation between China and Africa. The province will jointly advance artificial intelligence-enabled ocean governance, expand practical collaboration in marine biomedicine, renewable energy and seawater desalination, and contribute Zhejiang’s efforts to China-Africa modernization and the development of a China-Africa community with a shared future.
Estêvão Rafael Pale stated that Mozambique had carried out dynamic cooperation with Chinese institutions in strategic sectors including natural resources, geoscience, oil and gas. Currently, such partnership keeps expanding into emerging strategic areas such as marine science, ocean governance, climate resilience and sustainable blue economy.
Launch of the UN Ocean Decade MoNITOR Programme
Academician Chen Dake host the keynote session
Academician Dai Minhan delivered a keynote speech
During the forum, the launching ceremony for the UN Ocean Decade Programme --Mitigation of Natural Incidence Towards an increased Oceanic Resilience (MoNITOR) was held, alongside the release of a set of international public goods, marking that China-Africa marine scientific and technological cooperation has moved from dialogue to joint action. Academicians Dai Minhan delivered keynote speech on sustainable blue economy, global ocean observation and ocean forecasting systems. Focusing on cutting-edge technologies and practical application scenarios, his speech provides scientific support and policy references for sustainable marine development. Chen Danhong, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation, MNR, noted that a multi-level cooperation network has been established for China-Africa marine cooperation and has yielded fruitful outcomes. 2026 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Africa. China stands ready to work with African partners to jointly compile the Blue Book on China-Africa Marine Cooperation, advance the implementation of practical cooperation projects, strengthen coordination on global ocean governance, and jointly build a China-Africa maritime community with a shared future. Pan Xinchun, Vice Chairman and Secretary-General of the China Ocean Development Foundation, shared China’s experience in marine spatial planning. He noted that after more than 40 years of exploration, China has established a comprehensive system covering nearly 3 million square kilometers of jurisdictional sea areas, which has served as an important reference model for many developing countries. He proposed that a scientific marine spatial planning map could unlock the full potential of Africa’s blue economy. Qiao Fangli, researcher from the First Institute of Oceanography, MNR, introduced the marine governance toolkit for sustainable development of coastal cities. The toolkit can be precisely rolled out across Africa and serve as a public instrument supporting Africa’s sustainable marine development. Ibukun Adewumi, head of the Secretariat of IOC-Africa, called for ocean science to reach out to society and support policy-making so as to effectively improve people’s livelihoods and safeguard food security. He stressed that the ocean should not be a frontier for competition, but a starting point for cooperation, a foundation of mutual trust and a platform for win-win outcomes.
Launch of International Public Goods
Four parallel sessions were held during the forum, focusing on deep-sea governance and the BBNJ Agreement, ocean observation and operational applications, marine environmental sustainability, as well as AI and data-driven ocean governance. Site visits, exchange activities and marine enterprise exhibitions were also organized. Taking this opportunity, the forum boosted scientific and technological exchanges and matchmaking with enterprises, laying a solid foundation for the commercialization of marine scientific and technological achievements.
The successful convening of the forum has further consolidated China-Africa marine cooperation, expanded areas of collaboration and pooled consensus on development. It has injected strong impetus into the implementation of the UN Ocean Decade, the advancement of global sustainable marine development, and the building of a high-level China-Africa community with a shared future.