2024 Annual Meeting of Thailand-China Cooperation on Marine Promotes Marine Science and Technology Collaboration

On September 5, the three-day 2024 Annual Meeting of China-Thailand Cooperation on Marine came to a successful close in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The meeting consisted of the 12th Steering Committee Meeting of the Thailand-China Joint Laboratory for Climate and Marine Ecosystem and the 13th Thailand-China Joint Workshop on Marine Science and Technology Collaboration. More than 100 experts and representatives from natural resources and marine departments of China and Thailand gathered to share insights on marine scientific and technological cooperation and expressed commitment to continuously promote international cooperation to meet these challenges in the marine field.

China and Thailand share common understandings and collaborations in response to climate change, development and conservation of marine resources, marine disaster protection and mitigation and sustainable development. The Thailand-China Joint Laboratory for Climate and Marine Ecosystem (hereinafter referred to as “the Joint Laboratory”) was officially inaugurated in Phuket, Thailand in 2013, which provides a great platform for bilateral marine cooperation and has become a symbol of practical cooperation between China and ASEAN countries. The Joint Laboratory was jointly hosted by the Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) of China and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) of Thailand and jointly operated by the First Institute of Oceanography (FIO) of MNR and the Phuket Marine Biological Center of MNRE.     

During the meeting, project leaders of the two sides reported the latest progress of nine flagship projects and their sub-projects such as the Ocean Forecasting System for Southeast Asia Seas, Coastal Vulnerability Research, Ecosystem Management Network for Marine and Coastal Areas, Marine Endangered Species Research and Marine Spatial Planning Collaborative Study. Representatives also reviewed the application of the project outcomes in the marine field and their social benefits and discussed the work plan for 2025.

Sumana Kajonwattanakul, Director of the Marine and Coastal Resources Research and Development Institute, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, MNRE said she hoped that the cooperation between the two countries in the marine field will be further expanded and deepened with joint efforts and high-quality cooperation results will be produced.

QIAO Fangli, Deputy Director General of FIO said that by holding this meeting, the two sides exchanged the latest results of marine scientific and technological cooperation. China and Thailand became close marine scientific research friends through long-term cooperation, which was a vivid practice of building a maritime community with a shared future, he added.

Group photo