Constructing a China-ASEAN blue economic system large frequent market has turn out to be a serious possibility for China and ASEAN to create a “blue engine” for financial progress and to advertise regional financial integration. To foster in-depth cooperation between China and ASEAN within the area of blue economic system and inject new impetus into regional integration, on August 25, 2025, “Seminar on Collectively Constructing a New Engine for China-ASEAN Blue Economic system” was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The seminar was co-hosted by China Institute for Reform and Improvement (CIRD), the Institute of Asian Research, China International Affairs College (CFAU), and the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA), with Division of Worldwide and Strategic Research, Universiti Malaya as co-organizer, and Hainan Institute for Free Commerce Port Research (HIFTPS) as supporting group.
The seminar targeted on such subjects as “Unleashing the potential worth of marine assets to advertise the mixing of the China-ASEAN blue economic system”, “Strengthening cooperation on good ports and inexperienced transport to facilitate connectivity of the marine economic system” and “Leveraging the platform of Hainan Free Commerce Port to construct a China-ASEAN marine tourism and cultural financial circle”. It introduced collectively greater than 40 individuals, together with authorities officers, specialists and students, enterprise representatives, and journalists from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand, to collectively discover the pathways and alternatives for cooperation in blue economic system.
Professor Chi Fulin, president of CIRD and president of HIFTPS, and Monaliza binti Suhaimi, director-general of MIMA, delivered opening remarks. The opening ceremony was moderated by Yang Rui, government president of CIRD and president of RCEP Analysis Institute.
Professor Chi highlighted CIRD’s long-standing efforts in advancing China-ASEAN cooperation in blue economic system. From 2015 to 2016, CIRD proposed the idea of a “Pan-South China Sea Financial Cooperation Circle”; from 2018 to 2019, it superior the concept of building an “Island Tourism Financial Neighborhood”; from 2021 to 2023, it advocated “Cooperation-led Governance”; and in 2024, it launched the imaginative and prescient of “China-ASEAN Blue Economic system Integration”. Professor Chi emphasised that blue economic system represents a standard marketplace for China and ASEAN, serving as a key driver for financial progress, commerce cooperation, and industrial transformation. He underscored the necessity to construct a standard market led by marine tourism, encompassing frequent markets for marine tourism, marine fisheries, renewable vitality, and rising fields comparable to marine organic useful resource improvement. To realize this, he known as for strengthening connectivity of marine infrastructure with ports as the point of interest, extending RCEP commerce and financial guidelines to cowl the maritime sector, and establishing a cooperative governance framework guided by ecological and useful resource conservation.
Monaliza binti Suhaimi famous that China-ASEAN Blue Economic system Partnership not solely aligns with deepening cooperation between China and ASEAN, but in addition displays their shared priorities of financial progress, safety, and sustainability. She emphasised that implementing China-ASEAN Blue Economic system Blueprint would require substantial and well-targeted funding in sustainable and high-value marine sectors, advances in coverage and technological innovation, and the promotion of inclusive and resilient cooperative governance and capability constructing.
Session 1 on “China-ASEAN Blue Economic system Integration and Regional Financial Cooperation” was moderated by Li Fujian, deputy director of the Middle for International Biosecurity Governance at China International Affairs College.
Rommel Banlaoi, president of Philippine Society for Worldwide Safety Research, emphasised the significance of building a complete framework that hyperlinks the China-ASEAN Free Commerce Space (ACFTA) with RCEP, and known as for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct within the South China Sea. Ngeow Chow Bing, director of the Institute of China Research at Universiti Malaya, famous that within the face of geopolitical challenges, it’s important to strengthen blue economic system cooperation by absolutely leveraging ASEAN’s function as a key platform and regional group. Mazlinawati Abdul Majid, centre head of Maritime Economics and Industries of MIMA, urged leveraging Hainan Free Commerce Port as a China-ASEAN tourism platform. She underlined that its significance lies not solely in tourism itself, but in addition in constructing long-term and transformative partnerships that entice high-value tourism, stimulate coastal improvement, and advance the China-ASEAN blue economic system agenda. Cui Shaozhong, affiliate professor on the College of Worldwide Economics at China International Affairs College, proposed that selling China-ASEAN blue economic system integration and regional cooperation might start with areas comparable to marine science and expertise, marine tourism, and marine infrastructure. Guo Da, government president of HIFTPS, urged that Hainan Free Commerce Port ought to play a number one function in advancing the China-ASEAN frequent marketplace for blue economic system. He known as for enhancing port connectivity, strengthening linkages between China and ASEAN fisheries markets, establishing a China-ASEAN cruise tourism cooperation circle, and selling sustainable marine improvement with a give attention to marine ecological safety. Nur Zulaikha Yusof, head of Sustainability and Strategic Planning at Hexagon Synergy (M) Sdn. Bhd., really useful that China and ASEAN improve monitoring, reporting, and enforcement in opposition to unlawful dumping, promote regional cooperation on port logistics, construct waste administration capability and expertise sharing, and pursue cross-border cooperation, mutual recognition of requirements, and joint enforcement.
Session 2 on “Sensible Measures and Main Breakthroughs in Selling the Connectivity of China-ASEAN Blue Economic system” was moderated by Ong Chong Yi, senior analysis fellow of HIFTPS. Mohd Fadzil Mohd Akhir, pro-vice-chancellor of Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, careworn that universities can play an necessary function in advancing the blue economic system by strengthening training, analysis, and exchanges on this area. Preeda Youngsuksathaporn, secretary-general of Fish Advertising Group of Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Thailand, highlighted Thailand’s ongoing initiatives comparable to constructing digital fishing ports, advancing inexperienced transformation in transport, and enhancing the worth of seafood merchandise to advertise the blue economic system. Wanting forward, he known as for stronger China-ASEAN cooperation in blue economic system to cut back waste emissions and to develop a low-carbon, sustainable fisheries provide chain. Chan Kim Lian, professor of Universiti Malaysia Sabah, famous that the ASEAN blue economic system is of crucial significance and that regional cooperation is turning into more and more very important. She emphasised that selling the China-ASEAN blue economic system cooperation, notably in tourism, requires strengthening infrastructure connectivity, collectively addressing local weather change, and enhancing collaboration amongst analysis institutes, the personal sector, and governments. Muhammad Nur Arif Othman, centre head of Coastal and Marine Surroundings of MIMA, identified that Different Efficient Space-Primarily based Conservation Measures (OECMs) can hyperlink conservation with financial progress by connecting transboundary ecosystems and fostering sustainable improvement of China-ASEAN blue economic system. He urged strengthening the sharing of profitable OECM circumstances between China and ASEAN, in addition to enhancing cooperation in marine ecological safety and capability constructing. Ben Lee, government director of Lu Haifeng Improvement Sdn. Bhd, urged leveraging the Hainan Free Commerce Port to advance China-ASEAN blue economic system cooperation by specializing in innovation and infrastructure enchancment, collectively creating new vitality potential, implementing local weather resource-sharing applications, constructing a marine economic system large information cooperation platform, and collaborating on the event of marine ranching. Li Chun, Director of CIRD-GRANDALL Middle of FTP Legislation Research, emphasised that there stays appreciable area for China-ASEAN cooperation on marine ranching. Nonetheless, he underscored the necessity to strengthen consciousness of the significance of requirements, legal guidelines, insurance policies, and values, and to actively promote cooperation in marine-related providers to collectively construct a resilient marine trade and provide chain.
