Part of the World Ocean Week in Xiamen, the two-day China Family Regatta Xiamen Stop kicks off on Nov 4.
The Dream of Ocean International Contemporary Art Exhibition opens on Nov 5.
The 2023 World Ocean Week in Xiamen, Fujian province, is scheduled to be held from Thursday to Nov 15.
Themed "New Engine of Blue Development for the Maritime Community with a Shared Future", the weeklong event is to comprise a variety of more than 40 activities, including conferences and forums, professional exhibitions and ocean culture carnivals.
As the annual World Ocean Week has increased its international profile, more participants are expected to show up at this year's event.
At the opening of the 2023 WOW at the Xiamen International Conference Center Hotel on Thursday morning, government officials and international guests are to deliver speeches.
Among the keynote speakers are Ambassador Peter Thomson, the United Nations special envoy for the ocean, who will be present at the WOW opening for the first time; Sturla Henriksen, special adviser on the ocean to the United Nations Global Compact; and Yang Jian, vice-president of the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, as well as other experts, scholars and representatives of international organizations.
They are to share their insights into global ocean governance, building "blue partnerships" and high-quality maritime development, among other ocean-related issues.
Host of events
A series of forums and conferences are lined up for the 2023 WOW.Among them, the Xiamen International Ocean Forum will come hot on the heels of the opening and focus on blue actions and international cooperation in technology and innovation.
The 2023 Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) Network of Local Governments for Sustainable Coastal Development Forum, also known as PNLG Forum, is to span from Wednesday to Saturday, gathering more than 100 deputies from seven countries.
The cooperation between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expanding, evidenced by a string of China-ASEAN forums on seaweed collaboration, national oceanic ecosystem and sustainable development, and ocean protection, as well as other topics.
All of them aim to share achievements in ocean governance, exchange practices and experience and contribute technological solutions, thus providing support for the sustainable development of China and ASEAN members' oceans.
The International Digital Twins of the Ocean Summit 2023 is slated to be held from Thursday to Sunday, marking the first time that China is to play host to such a high-level international academic meeting in the field.
The Global Ocean Negative Carbon Emissions 2023 Open Science Conference on Wednesday, co-hosted by the Global ONCE program and Xiamen University, is to release scientific reports and conduct expert panel discussions.
The China Seafood Summit 2023 to run from Monday to Wednesday is expected to attract 800 representatives from a variety of trades. Composed of two main sessions and eight parallel sessions, the event will discuss such industry topics as China's seafood market and consumption, international seafood trade, and changes in consumption scenarios of aquatic products.
The eighth International Forum on Diving, Salvage and Offshore Engineering has invited academicians from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, as well as industry specialists and scholars to deliver speeches, focusing on applications of the latest technologies and technological progress in the industry.
In the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the Workshop on Blue Partnership Building under Global Ocean Governance is to focus on ocean governance and global partnerships, presenting China's propositions and practices regarding blue partnerships, with a focus on the BRICS mechanism and the Maritime Silk Road framework.
At the BRICS Sustainable Ocean Development Symposium, a center for BRICS ocean development studies is to be inaugurated to promote practical cooperation in ocean development among BRICS countries.
Other meetings include the China-Thailand Marine Science and Technology Cooperation Conference, running from Wednesday to Friday, and the Workshop on the Latest Developments of the Law of the Sea and Maritime Concerns Surrounding China, which is to be held over the weekend and will discuss five topics related to ocean governance, keeping up with the forefront of marine law research and contributing to the construction of a new pattern of ocean governance.
Major exhibitions
Four major exhibitions are lined up for the 2023 WOW. The 2023 Xiamen Commercialization Fair for Marine Scientific and Technological Achievements is to provide an ideal platform for business matchmaking. The event is to cover a total exhibition area of 10,000 square meters, an increase of 40 percent from its 2020 edition.
A new zone dedicated to the Xiamen Maritime High-Tech Industrial Park is to be added to this year's fair to demonstrate the park's planning and development blueprint and attract maritime businesses.
The sixth Underwater Operations and Offshore Industry Expo 2023 is to set a new bench mark for the industry, organizers said.
Covering a total area of 10,000 sq m, the event is to encompass a comprehensive exhibition area and eight thematic exhibition areas.
More than 3,000 cutting-edge equipment and technologies, as well as related training and insurance services, are to be displayed at the expo. The exhibits are to include the world's largest semi-submersible barge reaching 45,000 dead-weight tonnage, a 10,000-meter-deep diver, and the Deep Sea No 1 semisubmersible oil production and storage facility.
Resources from the entire industry chain are expected to gather at the expo. Fortune Global 500 giants such as China State Shipbuilding Corporation, China Communications Construction Company, and China National Offshore Oil Corporation, as well as industry-leading companies like Jiangsu-headquartered Jiaolong Heavy Industries, and ZL Offshore, are to participate. Additionally, 13 industry exchange meetings are to be held concurrently.
To explore new business patterns, the 2023 China (Xiamen) International Recreational Fishery and Aquarium Expo, equipped with 300 booths, is to feature five thematic exhibition areas on geographical indication-marked aquatic products, international oceangoing shipping, high-end food materials, ornamental aquariums and marine leisure.
Meanwhile, the China (Xiamen) International Boat Show 2023 is to provide new recreational experiences. Consisting of a 10,000-sq-m land exhibition area and a 30,000-sq-m exhibition area on water, the event is to showcase more than 70 vessels, of which more than 30 are from international brands involving 11 countries and regions.
Other supportive activities, such as an industry development forum, a yacht saloon and brand promotion events are to be held during the show. Concurrently, a water carnival featuring a variety of water sports like sailing, paddleboarding, kayaking, wakeboarding and pedal boats, as well as a yacht night banquet are to be a highlight of the show.
Cultural touch
In addition, a chain of cultural events planned for the 2023 WOW are to entertain visitors throughout the week.
They include the 2023 Dream of Ocean International Contemporary Art Exhibition, where 20 international artists from other countries including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, the Philippines, Germany and South Africa are to join hands with 12 Chinese peers and present their artworks; the TCCA Kids Arts Festival, a large-scale immersive marine science park, hosted by Topred Center for Contemporary Art; and the 15th National College Students Real Estate Planning Competition, which has attracted more than 10,000 students from more than 160 higher-education institutions to sign up, nearly 1,000 of them having gone through to the finals.
Xiamen University, Xiamen Ocean Vocational College, Jimei University and the Third Institute of Oceanography of the Ministry of Natural Resources are to launch the Ocean Science Open Day activities to popularize ocean sciences and culture.
The World Ocean Week has been held in Xiamen for 17 consecutive years. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the proposal of the Belt and Road Initiative. Xiamen, as a key city on the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, serves as an artery to promote international and domestic circulation.
Building on the World Ocean Week, an international maritime exchange platform, the city advances the high-quality development of the maritime economy and accelerate the construction of an oceanic community with a shared future, local officials said.
