SANYA, Nov. 8 -- The Symposium on Global Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance kicked off in Sanya, south China's Hainan Province, on Wednesday.

More than 300 experts, scholars, representatives from international organizations and relevant maritime departments from over 30 countries and regions are attending the two-day forum, with multiple topics to be discussed, such as challenges to global ocean governance and sustainable development of marine fisheries, among others.

Wang Hong, China's vice minister of natural resources, in his address highlighted China's participation in United Nations frameworks for ocean governance and rule-making and China's constructive role in regulations concerning fields such as deep-sea mining, marine biodiversity conservation, and others.

Wu Shicun, president of the Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, stressed the importance of recognizing the oceans as a shared habitat for humanity and the need to address climate change impacts and unsustainable exploitation of the oceans.

Established in 2020, the symposium has held four editions. It aims to advance global ocean and marine resource protection from an academic perspective, as well as foster discussions on ocean governance and international maritime cooperation.