China signaled its readiness to deepen cooperation with regional partners to enhance maritime protection and foster a shared future for the oceanic community during the opening of the 22nd Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting in Hangzhou on Tuesday. The event, hosted by China for the first time, brought together representatives from 23 countries and regions alongside two international organizations.
He Guangshun, chief engineer at China’s Ministry of Natural Resources, highlighted the country’s recent advancements in the maritime sector, including a pilot project aimed at identifying and assigning economic value to marine carbon sinks. These carbon sinks—comprising mangrove forests, seagrass beds, and seaweed farms—play a critical role in absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide and mitigating climate change effects. He called for collective efforts to address shared challenges such as rising sea levels and biodiversity loss.
During the meeting, China Coast Guard introduced a new marine carbon sink law enforcement model, signaling a shift from traditional punitive approaches toward one emphasizing ecological restoration. This framework holds maritime polluters accountable by requiring them to remediate environmental damage and restore the ocean’s natural carbon sequestration functions. Zhao Yingfei, a China Coast Guard law enforcement officer who moderated a special session on the model, explained that it uses legal mechanisms to quantify ecological harm and mandate tailored restoration efforts, underscoring the model’s role in advancing sustainable maritime development domestically and contributing to global ocean governance internationally.
Wang Kaiqiang, deputy director of the China Coast Guard, described the meeting as a pivotal forum to present China’s enforcement model as a benchmark for modern maritime governance worldwide. He stressed the need for comprehensive strategies that tackle both symptoms and root causes of maritime risks and urged closer cooperation among coast guard agencies to strengthen the maritime community.
The meeting’s agenda covered a range of topics including combating illegal maritime activities, enhancing search-and-rescue coordination, marine ecological protection, information sharing, joint drills, and capacity building. A dedicated session also reviewed the Global Security Initiative, an effort designed to improve regional ocean governance.
Liu Zhixu, head of international cooperation at China Coast Guard’s law enforcement department, emphasized that the discussions aimed to promote a “maritime community with a shared future.” He noted the innovative agenda reflected China’s leadership role in “blue governance” and its commitment to balancing maritime security with ecological protection.
China’s hosting of the high-level meeting follows its chairmanship of the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum last year, marking a continued effort to position itself as a proactive partner in regional maritime cooperation and ocean sustainability initiatives.