Hey ocean enthusiasts! 🌊 Something big just went down in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province! The 2024 Global Ocean Development Forum made a splash by bringing together 667 representatives from marine organizations, universities, enterprises, and research institutions across 41 countries and regions. Talk about an ocean of knowledge! 🌍
Connecting the World for a Blue Future 🌐
This awesome event, mixing online and offline participation, aimed to boost international collaboration in marine economy, technology, and ecology. Hosted by the Shandong Provincial People's Government and the Ministry of Natural Resources, it was organized by local authorities like the Qingdao Municipal Government and the Shandong Provincial Marine Development Bureau.
Riding the Waves of Innovation 🚀
With the theme \\"Let's 'sea' our futures – promoting blue partnerships for growth and sustainability,\\" the forum featured 12 thematic activities! Topics ranged from marine biotechnology and deep-sea resources to marine disaster control and low-carbon marine economy. There's something for every ocean geek out there! 🐙
More Than Just a Forum 📸🎉
Alongside the forum, there were four super cool events: the Shandong Marine Development Achievement Exhibition, the East Asia Marine Expo, the World's Most Beautiful Bays Photography Exhibition, and the Asia-Pacific Robot World Cup International Invitational in Qingdao. Robots and oceans? Yes, please! 🤖🌊
Making Waves with Big Announcements 📣
During the opening ceremony, the 2024 China Ocean Development Index Report and the 2024 Ocean Development Forum Qingdao Initiative were released. Plus, 30 key marine projects from Shandong Province were signed on-site, signaling big moves in marine innovation! ✍️
Voices from the Deep 🎤
The main forum featured speeches from notable figures like Sun Shuxian, vice minister of natural resources, and Jens Eskelund, president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China. Ambassadors and officials from Iceland, Greece, Cyprus, and UN organizations also shared insights on global blue economy collaboration, decarbonized shipping, and the Arctic blue economy. 🌎❄️
Charting the Future of Marine Development 📈
The 2024 China Ocean Development Index Report offered a deep dive into China's marine progress. From 2016 to 2023, the index grew at an average annual rate of 2.9%, reaching 125.3 in 2023 – a 3% increase from 2022! This shows solid strides in high-quality marine development and building a marine powerhouse. 🚢
Signing for a Sustainable Tomorrow 🖋️
The signing of 30 key marine projects in Shandong Province covers investments in marine new energy materials, transportation, engineering equipment manufacturing, and biomedicine. It's all about integrating innovation, industry, finance, and talent to create a brighter blue future! 💙
So, who's ready to dive into these exciting ocean opportunities? Let's ride the wave together! 🌊🤙
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
