CIDCA spokesperson holds media briefing on China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation

Xu Wei, spokesperson for the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA), held a media briefing on Nov 21, 2022, on the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation. 

Xu said that as the world is faced with profound changes and a pandemic, both unseen in a century, economic recovery and development are experiencing grave difficulties. To proactively respond to development issues, build consensuses on global development and promote win-win international cooperation, China proposed the Global Development Initiative (GDI) at the United Nations, which promotes cooperation in eight priority areas, including poverty reduction, food security, climate change and green development, in a bid to support developing countries and contribute to post-pandemic global recovery. 

He noted that in recent years, under the impact of climate change and marine pollution, marine ecology is posing more prominent problems. Countries in the Indian Ocean region are among the first to suffer from the impact. As the biggest developing country, China is committed to achieving the UN's sustainable goal on marine resources. 

To promote cooperation in this region, vitalize the blue economy and tackle development issues, the CIDCA and the people's government of Yunnan province jointly hosted the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation, both online and onsite. 

This forum is the first high-level official development cooperation forum jointly held by China and countries in the Indian Ocean region. It is another concrete action from China to implement the GDI, which features extensive common consensuses, high level and full representation. 

Senior officials from 19 countries attended and addressed the event, including 13 officials at and above the vice-ministerial level and two former political leaders. Chairman of the CIDCA Luo Zhaohui and Governor of Yunnan Wang Yubo were among the Chinese officials who attended and addressed the event. Among the over 100 other attendees were representatives from international organizations, think tank scholars and foreign diplomats. 

The theme of the forum is "Shared Development: Theory and Practice of Blue Economy". There will be two parallel sessions held after the opening ceremony and guests will speak on and discuss topics including marine climate governance, the protection of seabed resources, fisheries, tourism, education and cooperation in non-traditional security fields. They will focus on how to implement the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development and exchange views on unleashing the potential of the blue economy, deepening cooperation and jointly promoting global development. 

Upon the completion of the forum, China and all other attending parties will jointly release the Kunming Joint Press Statement of the China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Development Cooperation. 

Xu said that China is prepared to take the forum as a starting point and further strengthen cooperation with countries in the Indian Ocean region to grow the blue economy, advance the implementation of the GDI in the region, and contribute to the realization of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.