QINGDAO, China, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On September 22, 2020, East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum and Qingdao International Marine Week kicked off in Qingdao West Coast New Area. Experts, scholars and elites from various countries and regions around the world and international organizations gathered together online and offline to jointly promote the in-depth cooperation among different countries in the marine field.
The forum is hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Shandong Provincial People's Government, organized by Qingdao Municipal People's Government and Shandong Port Group, and executed by the Administrative Committee of Qingdao West Coast New Area. It consists of seven segments including one main forum, four sub-forums (International High-end Form on Ocean Health, East Asia Marine Culture and Tourism Development Forum, East Asia Seaport Alliance Conference, and International Seaweed and Health Industry Forum), one contest (the final of Global Marine Intelligent Tech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Contest), and one expo (East Asia Marine Expo).
A number of heavyweight research reports were released at the forum, such as the East Asia Marine Cooperation Report (2020), the Report on Marine Environmental Protection and Governance of East Asian Nations, and the Culture and Tourism Development Index of East Asia Coastal Cities (2020), showing the way forward for the marine cooperation in East Asia. According to East Asia Marine Cooperation Report (2020), the marine cooperation in East Asia is facing new challenges at present, but the consensus and expectation of all parties to strengthen marine cooperation remain unchanged, as does the investment and support for marine cooperation and the huge space and opportunity for blue development.
Leveraging the international platform of East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum, Qingdao West Coast New Area has redoubled its efforts in talent attraction and investment promotion. Agreements on 24 key projects have been signed at the forum, among which 12 are key industrial projects with a total investment of RMB 45.1 billion, covering ten major industries such as marine high-end equipment, new generation information technology, new energy and new materials; and 12 projects led by high-level talents, involving more than 250 talents in 7 emerging strategic fields such as high-end equipment manufacturing, new energy, new materials, Internet of Things, bio-medicine, energy conservation and environmental protection.
Centering around the theme of "Openness and Connectivity for a Smart Future", Hou Yunchun, former deputy director of Development Research Center of the State Council and president of China Enterprises Evaluation Association, and Xiang Songzuo, a famous macroeconomist and former chief economist of Agricultural Bank of China, as well as other well-known experts, scholars and entrepreneurs made keynote speeches respectively.
One segment of the forum - East Asia Marine Expo 2020 was opened and lasted until September 27. The expo adopted the new "offline + online" exhibition mode for the first time and set up six exhibition areas for international cooperation and strategic industry; marine engineering equipment and marine science and technology; new infrastructure and new industries; international consumer goods; supporting industry commodities; and fishery and aquatic products.
It is learned that the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform is a prioritized promotion project in the national Belt and Road construction plan and a key promotion project in Shandong's initiative to replace old growth drivers with new ones. Focusing on the construction of the East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform, Qingdao West Coast New Area has hosted this forum for the fifth year running, attracting over 1,100 guests and more than 1,600 enterprises from 53 countries and regions in total, and has gained a series of substantial cooperation achievements. At present, East Asia Marine Cooperation Platform Qingdao Forum has become an important vehicle for promoting in-depth cooperation between China, Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asian countries.
