Remarks by Chairman Luo Zhaohui at the Welcoming Dinner of the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation

Remarks by Chairman Luo Zhaohui at the Welcoming Dinner of the Third China-Indian Ocean Region Forum on Blue Economy Development Cooperation

(December 15th, Kunming)

H. E. Mr. Reginald Farley, President of the Senate of the Republic of Barbados,

H. E. Mr. Hussain Mohamed Latheef, Vice President of the Republic of Maldives,

H. E. Mr. Wang Yubo, Governor of Yunnan province,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good evening!

It is my great honor to host today's dinner to welcome you all.

This is the third time we get together in Kunming, to participate in the Forum. 

The ocean, which is rich in ecological resources and has huge space for development, embraces 80 percent of the world’s trade, and 40 percent of the world's population living in coastal areas. With the development of economic globalization and regional economic integration, the ocean is getting more and more important, and developing blue economy has become a shared pursuit of the international community. 

The blue economy is a combination of marine economy and green economy. The UN SDGs, the UN Ocean Decade are the 2 most important documents reached by UN family. So as members of the UN，we are on the same page to implement the consensus.

China's BRI is including the cooperation along Maritime Silk Road. China has conducted a lot of projects' cooperation with Indian Ocean countries bilaterally and multilaterally. Today’s Forum is one of the continuous efforts to promote blue economy cooperation in the region from China and Indian Ocean Region countries.  

The SDGs urges to leave no one behind. Facing the current geopolitical situation and climate changes, small islands states are in more difficult situation. Their concerns should get more attention. That's why Barbados and Maldives kindly agreed to co-host the Forum with China.  

We are willing to move forward hand in hand with the international community and regional countries, to build the Indian Ocean a platform for blue economy, prosperity, development, and cultural integration. I believe that, with joint efforts by all of us, this forum will be a great success.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I propose,

to the full success of the Forum,

to the health of all of us,

Cheers !