Xiamen's azure waters. [Photo/Xiamen Daily]

At the first Ocean Decade International Coastal Cities Conference recently held in Qingdao, Shandong province, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO announced that eight cities and institutions, including Xiamen, China, have become new members of the Cities with the Ocean Platform of UN Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

As the only city among the eight new members, Xiamen has attracted significant attention from various parties in recent years for its remarkable achievements in sustainable development and international economic and cultural exchanges related to the ocean. 

Xiamen, representing the new members, stated at the conference that the Ocean Decade initiative is consistent with China's sustainable development principles. In the future, Xiamen will uphold the concept of sustainable development and collaborate with other members of the Cities within the Ocean Platform to collectively address challenges such as climate change and ocean pollution.

In recent years, Xiamen has prioritized expanding its "blue circle of friends". In addition to hosting the annual World Ocean Week and continuously expanding its influence, the city plans to strengthen maritime exchange and cooperation with countries and regions along the Maritime Silk Road this year to build multi-level partnerships that will support the development of Xiamen's marine industry.

As a key mechanism for advancing the Ocean Decade initiative, the Cities with the Ocean Platform is committed to empowering global marine cities and increasing their contributions to sustainable development. Xiamen's participation in this platform will strengthen China's role in international ocean cooperation.