The International Academic Conference on Sustainable Fishery Development in Countries Bordering the South China Sea was held in a hybrid modality in Fangchenggang, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, on May 9. Participants from China and countries bordering the South China Sea, including Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Brunei, Myanmar, and Thailand, held academic talks on the management, conservation, and sustainable use of marine fishery resources amid climate change. The conference aimed to better propel high-quality development of fisheries in countries bordering the South China Sea. 

Sustainable fishery development is a global issue. As developing countries, China and countries bordering the South China Sea share a common mission and a broad consensus in the field of fishery. China has been working with countries bordering the South China Sea to jointly discuss cooperation in fishery and seek its sustainable development, which is in line with China’s concept of building a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home together with ASEAN countries.  

China has always attached great importance to fishery cooperation with countries bordering the South China Sea, conducted friendly consultations and close exchanges with them, and carried out multilevel, productive, and pragmatic cooperation in a variety of fields including the fishery industry, resource conservation, and technology exchange. These efforts have effectively conserved fishery resources in the South China Sea and increased the income of fishermen. The conference will further firm up the foundation for cooperation between China and countries bordering the South China Sea, expand the scope of fishery cooperation, and take fishery cooperation to a new level. 

The conference was hosted by the South China Sea Fisheries Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences. Heads of relevant units of the Bureau of Fisheries of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Department of Boundary and Ocean Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and the CPC Fangchenggang Committee participated in the conference. On the same day, representatives from participating countries were also invited to the China–Vietnam Joint Event for Propagation and Release of Fishery Resources in the Beibu Gulf in Dongxing, Fangchenggang, where they witnessed efforts to conserve fishery resources in the Beibu Gulf.