China Holds Dialogue on Maritime Silk Road Local Cooperation
Fuzhou (ANTARA) – The 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Local Government Cooperation and International Friendship Cities Dialogue, jointly organised by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC) and the People’s Government of Fujian Province, opened in Fuzhou on Saturday (17 October).
Xinhua reported that nearly 100 representatives of local governments and friendship organisations from 24 countries took part in in-depth discussions on global governance, the maritime economy, industrial cooperation, people-to-people and cultural exchanges, and other topics. The dialogue reached broad consensus.
The initiative called for genuine multilateralism and a fairer, more equal system of global governance.
It encouraged participants to make full use of regular exchanges between international friendship cities to share experience and learn from one another in urban governance, environmental protection, rural development, youth development and public services. Such cooperation at local level, it said, could contribute to a fairer and more equal system of global governance.
The initiative also called for deeper international maritime cooperation and high-quality development of the marine economy. It encouraged coastal regions to draw on their respective strengths and expand cooperation in port logistics, marine renewable energy, modern fisheries, marine biomedicine and deep-sea equipment manufacturing. Participants were also urged to support China’s bid to host the Secretariat of the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement in Xiamen, Fujian Province.
On industrial cooperation, the initiative called for innovative cooperation mechanisms and stronger collaboration between cross-border industrial zones. It encouraged the joint development of industrial parks and cross-border cooperation platforms, promotion of models such as “Two Countries, Twin Parks”, and greater industrial complementarity and supply-chain connectivity. Improved two-way investment and blue financial services are expected to help small and medium-sized enterprises expand into overseas markets and deliver tangible benefits from cooperation.
The initiative also called for expanded intercivilisational exchange and mutual learning, stronger people-to-people ties between friendship cities, stronger long-term cooperation mechanisms and new opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation.
Iustin Cionca, president of Arad County Council in Romania, said Arad, in western Romania, was a major logistics hub and had a strong interest in the initiative, as it wanted to become much more involved in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. “We are very confident that we have a lot to learn from Fujian, from Fuzhou. And we are committed to working with our Chinese partners to improve the quality of life of our residents day by day.”
“This initiative is about embracing one another, not because of national borders, but because we are citizens of the universe. Here, you see yourself as part of a universal family. Every country has its own culture, and through this initiative we can embrace one another’s cultures to make mutual understanding easier. At the same time, you can learn from this initiative about infrastructure and various forms of development based on our resources,” said Denise Miller, deputy mayor of Georgetown, Guyana.