Rongcheng city in east China's Shandong province actively explores the ecological shallow-sea farming model. (PHOTO: XINHUA)

As the world's oceans boast abundant resources, they continue to grow as an important engine for economic development.

At the 2023 International Forum on Building a Maritime Community with a Shared Future on April 1 in Beijing, heads of universities specializing in marine science and technology engaged in a discussion on promoting shared maritime development, marine equipment & technology, as well as sustainable development of the ocean economy through sci-tech advancements.

Yao Yu, president of Harbin Engineering University (HEU), expressed the significance of promoting talent cultivation, technological innovation, open cooperation and intercultural communication to support the global ocean industry. He mentioned HEU has been contributing to low-carbon and AI research in support of a shared future for oceans.

Zhou Dawang, vice president of Xiamen University, highlighted that sci-tech innovation is the driving force for the development of the ocean economy. As such, China should advance the integration of sci-tech into industries and perfect the sci-tech innovation chain to lead, empower and serve ocean industries.

Currently, the application of AI, quantum information, mobile communication and other new-generation information technology is accelerating, while new manufacturing technologies including digitalization and new materials, are transforming the shipping and maritime industry, said Xi Lifeng, vice president of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

He proposed that universities should establish a broad interdisciplinary system to enhance the original innovation capability for the ocean industry and facilitate the commercialization of relevant sci-tech achievements.

In addition, Chinese universities should further promote international cooperation, said Liu Yong, vice president of the Ocean University of China, adding that universities can take an active part in the global marine sci-tech innovation network.

Rational exploration and utilization of the ocean is the key to solving global challenges such as climate change and environmental pollution. Wu Chaozhong, vice president of Wuhan University of Technology, said that building a sound marine ecology is the core task of building a marine community with a shared future.

Wu added that universities should focus on deep-sea fields, and give full play to the unique advantages of ship and sea engineering in maintaining ecological balance and mitigating the side effects of climate change.