On May 10, the China–ASEAN Blue Economy Cooperation Dialogue was held in Haikou. Wu Shicun, Chairman of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance (Huayang Center) and Chairman of the Academic Committee of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies (NISCSS), attended the dialogue and delivered a keynote speech at the session titled “Building a Big and Shared China-ASEAN Blue Economy Market amidst Geopolitical Shifts”

Wang Bin, member of the Standing Committee of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee and head of the Publicity Department of the CPC Hainan Provincial Committee; Lv Bin, Chairman of the China Oceanic Development Foundation; Gao Fei, President of China Foreign Affairs University; and Chi Fulin, President of the China Institute for Reform and Development, delivered opening remarks. Yang Rui, Executive President of the China Institute for Reform and Development, chaired the opening ceremony.

In his remarks, Wu Shicun noted that the blue economy has become an important engine of global economic growth, as well as a key area for China and ASEAN to deepen regional economic integration under the RCEP framework and promote the integrated development of marine industrial and supply chains. Against the backdrop of profound changes in the geopolitical landscape, China–ASEAN blue economy cooperation faces real challenges, including fragmented rules, insufficient industrial coordination, and the spillover effects of South China Sea disputes. At the same time, it also presents important opportunities for upgrading regional cooperation.

Wu Shicun stated that the Hainan Free Trade Port can fully draw on the experience of regional marine economic development around the world. With a focus on regulatory alignment, industrial-chain integration, and platform support, Hainan should accelerate the development of a common market covering port and shipping logistics, modern fisheries, deep-sea and offshore aquaculture, offshore new energy, marine equipment manufacturing, and other sectors. He also emphasized the need to strengthen think tank cooperation, talent training, and capacity building in ocean governance, so as to foster a more stable and sustainable regional cooperation mechanism and build a genuine blue economy strategic hub connecting China and ASEAN.

The Dialogue was co-hosted by the Hainan Institute for Free Trade Port Studies, the China Oceanic Development Foundation, and China Foreign Affairs University, with support from the Huayang Center and the Hainan Reform and Development Research Foundation. Experts, scholars, government officials, and media representatives from China, South Korea, Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam attended the forum. Participants held discussions and exchanges on topics including “Priority Areas and Policy Innovation for China–ASEAN Marine Industrial Integration,” “New Breakthroughs in Blue Economy Cooperation under the Combined Effects of Regional Free Trade Arrangements and Hainan Free Trade Port Policies,” and “China–ASEAN Marine Infrastructure Connectivity and Regional Port Linkages.”

During the event, Wu Shicun also gave interviews to media outlets including China Daily, Hainan TV, and Sansha TV on the building of a China–ASEAN blue economy common market and the customs-closure policies of the Hainan Free Trade Port.