The 2024 East Asian Seas Congress and Xiamen International Ocean Week began in Xiamen, Fujian province, on Wednesday, bringing together international expertise and resources to explore new ways for sustainable ocean development.

Themed "Blue Cooperation, Co-creating the Future: Fostering a Sustainable and Resilient Ocean", the congress is hosted by the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia and is organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China and the government of Xiamen city.

It has attracted about 1,000 attendees from China and abroad, including 26 ministerial-level officials from 15 countries such as Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, the Philippines and South Korea.

The congress mainly includes the opening ceremony, more than 30 international conferences, an international marine exhibition and other events, which cover various important topics such as innovation and digitalization of marine actions and blue investment and financing.

At the opening ceremony, Xiamen was awarded the "Best Practices Achievement Award for Marine Ecological Protection and Restoration", which recognized the city as an international example of bay city governance.

The China National Ecological Protection and Restoration Bulletin 2024 was released at the ceremony, presenting the results of China's ecological protection and restoration efforts, according to Wang Lei, director of the Department of Land Space Ecology Restoration of the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.

Zeng Dongsheng, director general of the Xiamen Ocean Development Bureau, stated that the congress will not only showcase China's unwavering commitment to marine environmental protection but also underscore its strong advocacy for global collaboration in ocean governance.