This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows the awards session of ocean story short videos at the opening ceremony of the second Shared Oceans · Shanghai Forum 2026 in east China’s Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)
SHANGHAI, April 23 (Xinhua) — The second Shared Oceans · Shanghai Forum 2026 was held on Thursday in Shanghai, where participants called for stronger cooperation to build a maritime community with a shared future.
Themed “Shared Oceans: Maritime Security and Blue Prosperity,” the forum, held at Shanghai Maritime University, aimed to serve as a bridge for maritime exchanges and cooperation between China and other countries, pool strengths to jointly safeguard maritime security and share blue prosperity, and inject impetus into the implementation of the vision of a maritime community with a shared future.
The event attracted scholars and experts from the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the International Maritime Law Institute of the International Maritime Organization, and domestic institutions including the Chinese Academy of Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Fudan University and China Oceanic Development Foundation.
Participants engaged in discussions across a main forum and four parallel sub-forums, covering topics such as coordinated maritime development in Asia and the Pacific, maritime security and jurisprudence, blue economy practices, and national security situations.
In a video address, Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest, chief of Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section of ESCAP’s Transport Division, emphasized the significance of maritime connectivity for regional development.
She said that China plays an important role in international maritime cooperation and called on all parties to strengthen coordination and build consensus to jointly advance a more resilient, digital and green maritime future, and to work together toward a maritime community with a shared future for sustainable prosperity.
Chu Beiping, president of Shanghai Maritime University, said the key to building a maritime community with a shared future and promoting maritime economy cooperation lies in practicing the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits to achieve mutual and win-win outcomes.
The event also released the Global Maritime Security Situation Assessment and Outlook (2025-2026) and the Initiative on “Jointly Safeguarding Maritime Security and Building a Shared Ocean Future” to disseminate maritime visions and build consensus for cooperation. ■
This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows a scene during the opening ceremony of the second Shared Oceans · Shanghai Forum 2026 in east China’s Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)
This photo taken on April 23, 2026 shows a scene during the premiere of a micro-documentary at the opening ceremony of the second Shared Oceans · Shanghai Forum 2026 in east China’s Shanghai. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)
Chinese and foreign youth representatives read out the Initiative on “Jointly Safeguarding Maritime Security and Building a Shared Ocean Future” during the opening ceremony of the second Shared Oceans · Shanghai Forum 2026 in east China’s Shanghai, April 23, 2026. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)
