release time:2024/6/20
The blue economy is a sustainable economic activity based on the development and utilization of marine resources, involving industries such as fisheries, shipping, tourism, natural resource development, and marine environmental protection. The development concept is to protect the marine ecosystem while developing marine resources to create wealth. Currently, the ocean has become an important area for countries to strive for greater resource development space, and the blue economy is thriving globally, increasingly becoming one of the new growth points for economies of various countries.
African countries and China are indispensable promoters, participants, and contributors to the global blue economy. Both sides view the development of the blue economy as an important choice to achieve economic structural transformation and sustainable development. In the era of continuous development and growth of China Africa economic and trade cooperation, China and Africa should tap into the potential of blue economic cooperation and help it deepen and solidify.
Unique endowment advantages
Africa has the endowment advantage to develop the blue economy and holds enormous development potential. The African Union and African countries attach great importance to the development of the blue economy, formulate and implement a series of vision plans and policy measures.
Out of 54 countries in Africa, 38 are coastal or island countries with a total coastline of over 47000 kilometers and a total sea area of approximately 13 million square kilometers, including territorial waters and approximately 6.5 million square kilometers of continental shelf. The marine resources are very abundant. Specifically, the waters in this region are one of the world's major fishing grounds, with abundant fishery resources and superior conditions for developing marine fisheries; The sea areas in this region contain abundant oil and gas resources, with enormous potential for exploitation; The African continent and maritime areas have obvious geographical advantages, surrounded by the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic Ocean from east to west. Located at the throat of maritime transportation, it is one of the important and busy maritime transportation and trade channels in the world. In addition, the blue economy related industries in Africa, such as marine fisheries, coastal and maritime tourism, maritime port services and related infrastructure, ship manufacturing and maintenance, have great development space and potential.
The position of the blue economy in the economic development strategies of the African Union and African countries is increasingly prominent, and more and more African countries are joining the ranks of developing the blue economy. The African Union has successively introduced and implemented a series of strategic framework documents and policy measures related to the blue economy, aiming to promote and guide African countries to effectively and high-quality develop the blue economy. The core and supporting documents include the 2050 Africa Ocean Comprehensive Strategy, the 2063 Vision, the African Union Charter on Maritime Safety, Defense and Development, and the Africa Blue Economy Strategy. The Vision 2063 lists the development of the blue economy to promote sustainable growth as one of the priority areas on the agenda. The African Blue Economy Strategy is regarded as a guiding document and development blueprint for the African blue economy. The document emphasizes the five major areas of the African blue economy, namely fisheries and aquaculture, shipping and trade ports, maritime safety law enforcement, coastal and maritime tourism, addressing climate change, protecting marine ecosystems and related infrastructure construction, sustainable development of marine energy and mineral resources, and industrial innovation. The 2050 Africa Ocean Comprehensive Strategy and the Charter of the African Union on Maritime Safety, Defense and Development emphasize the creation of employment and income through the promotion of fisheries, aquaculture, and marine tourism, encourage the establishment and development of the African maritime industry, develop comprehensive human resources for the marine economy, attach importance to marine governance, strengthen marine infrastructure construction, enhance the competitiveness of the African marine industry, protect the marine environment and maintain its sustainability, research and development of marine and aquatic biotechnology, and management of deep-sea minerals and other resources.
Fisheries and trade, port services and construction, coastal and maritime tourism, and marine oil and gas resources are important sources of income for African coastal countries, as well as the foundation and pillar industries of their blue economy. The blue economy is still an important driving force for African countries to achieve industrialization, economic diversification, transformation, and enhance resilience. Its future development direction is to create value-added, transformation, inclusiveness, and sustainable development models, help overall economic growth, enhance the position of African economy in the global value chain, and achieve sustainable development of marine resources. The blue economy will also contribute to protecting people's livelihoods, increasing employment, poverty reduction, addressing climate change, and enhancing the international competitiveness of coastal countries in Africa.
Many African countries have implemented the African Union's blue economy development plan and introduced their own policies and measures to develop the blue economy. South Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, and Cape Verde are among the pioneers, and they have initially formed a blue economic system. Other coastal African countries are leveraging their endowments and advantages in the marine economy to catch up.
Broad areas of cooperation
China and Africa share the same needs and interests in blue economic cooperation, with broad areas of cooperation, numerous cooperation mechanisms and platforms, and a bright future for cooperation.
The blue economy is gradually becoming a new highlight of China Africa economic and trade cooperation, and promoting this cooperation will further enrich the substantive content of jointly building a community with a shared future between China and Africa. The foundation of China Africa Blue Economic Cooperation is sound, and the cooperation between the two sides in this field reflects the characteristics of complementary needs and interests, as well as mutual benefit and win-win outcomes. The self-development capacity of African countries in the blue economy is insufficient, including a lack of technology, talent, and funding, and related infrastructure is also weak, urgently requiring external cooperation. China's blue economy is currently in a stage of high-quality development, and the marine industry structure is constantly upgrading. China is still a major producer and exporter of aquatic products in the world, with advantages in experience, technology, funding, and management in areas such as marine fisheries, shipbuilding industry, and port construction and operation. The related industries are in a leading position globally. In addition, China continues to promote the construction of a "maritime power" and is actively committed to international cooperation in the blue economy.
The blue economic cooperation between China and Africa is developing in a deeper direction. China has strengthened the strategic alignment and joint action with Africa to jointly build the "the Belt and Road" countries, including the effective alignment between the "the Belt and Road" initiative and the African Union's Vision 2063, and the two sides have worked together to build a high-quality "the Belt and Road". The Summit of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation also explicitly proposed to strengthen blue economic cooperation between China and Africa. In August 2023, at the China Africa Leaders' Dialogue held in South Africa, China proposed to implement the "China Assists Africa in Agricultural Modernization Plan" to promote exchanges and cooperation in areas such as fisheries, nearshore aquaculture, and marine biotechnology products between the two sides. In addition, China has released the "the Belt and Road" Maritime Cooperation Vision, the "Blue Partnership Principles", the "the Belt and Road" Blue Cooperation Initiative and other documents, which are of guiding and promoting significance to China Africa blue economic cooperation. The Chinese government's Policy Document on Africa proposes that China will expand cooperation with Africa in the field of blue economy, support the capacity building of major marine industries in Africa, and assist African countries in developing their marine economy according to local conditions. China has also strengthened its blue economic cooperation with African countries through the signing of cooperation memorandums, including the signing of the first intergovernmental cooperation document in the ocean field between China and Africa, the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation in the Ocean and Coastal Zone, with South Africa, and the Memorandum of Understanding on Ocean Cooperation for the Blue Partnership with Seychelles. In December 2015, China and South Africa reached an agreement to promote cooperation in key areas such as the blue economy, and the two countries signed a cooperation agreement including the blue economy.
At present, China and Africa have established practical cooperation in ports, marine fisheries, marine technology, and other areas. Maritime port cooperation is the largest area of China Africa blue economic cooperation, including various forms such as investment, joint ventures, acquisitions, and engineering contracting. Africa is the region where China was the earliest to engage in cooperation in deep-sea fisheries. China actively engages in fishery cooperation projects with countries such as Sierra Leone, Senegal, Guinea, Tanzania, Kenya, Seychelles, Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Kenya, including the construction of fishing ports, sharing of fishing technologies, and strengthening of fishery training. China also collaborates on marine ecological environment protection projects such as the construction of marine protected areas, marine garbage management, marine environmental monitoring, exploration and utilization of marine resources, and renewable energy such as offshore wind and solar power stations.
Looking ahead to the future, China Africa blue economic cooperation must seize opportunities, overcome challenges, create a more favorable cooperation environment, expand the scope and scale of cooperation, and improve the quality and level of cooperation.
On the basis of traditional cooperation areas such as marine fisheries, maritime transportation, and port construction, the cooperation areas will be expanded to high-tech and high value-added industries such as exploration and development of marine mineral resources, marine resource supervision, manufacturing and research and development of marine science and technology equipment, marine engineering, shipbuilding, and talent and skills training. The second is to enhance the level and depth of cooperation in the fields of marine environment and natural resource protection, as well as addressing climate change. Thirdly, we will expand and strengthen bilateral and multilateral mechanisms for blue economic cooperation between China and Africa, and strive to sign bilateral agreements on blue economic cooperation with more African countries. At the same time, accelerate the formation of a blue economic cooperation and exchange mechanism and platform under the Forum on China Africa Cooperation. The fourth is to increase the attention, willingness, and enthusiasm of cooperation enterprises and institutions between China and Africa towards the blue economic cooperation between China and Africa, and fully tap into the needs and potential of cooperation. The fifth is to promote investment and financing cooperation between China and Africa in areas such as marine infrastructure construction. Six is to enhance the voice and cooperation of China and Africa in global ocean affairs and blue economy international cooperation. (Author: Yang Haiquan Source: Economic Daily)
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