written by Li Min / translated by Gao Qianqian

Maritime Cooperation:“Blue Dream“ of China and ASEAN

written by Li Min / translated by Gao Qianqian

If we use a color to describe China-ASEAN cooperation in 2015, it must be “blue”. In November 2014, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang attended the 17th ASEAN-China Summit in Nay Pyi Daw, Myanmar, and proposed to make 2015 “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”. Hence, maritime cooperation has become a new highlight in the “Diamond Decade” for China-ASEAN cooperation. “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”, as the embodiment of building the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, has attracted a lot of concerns.

Born with the Ocean

Ocean occupies approximately 70% of the earth’s surface. It bears the weight of the most active international trade. More than half of foreign trade around the world relies on sea transportation. And half of the crude oil is shipped by sea. The continuous development of sea transportation has provided a strong support for economic globalization and trade liberalization. Exploring and utilizing the ocean and maritime resources have become important approaches for the development of coastal countries. On the other hand, while bringing welfare to human beings, the ocean has posed numerous challenges as well.

Nine out of ten ASEAN countries face the sea. China, as ASEAN’s neighbor, enjoys god-given regional advantages and shares common interest with ASEAN. So, the proposal put forward by China to co-build the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road with the ASEAN countries and strengthen maritime cooperation is in line with the general trend of economic globalization and regional integration. Nevertheless, maritime cooperation involves various complicated fields and is very sensitive when speaking of interests. China and ASEAN need to “sit down and work out” a plan to seek common grounds while reserving difference. “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation” was born in response to such a situation.

As Premier Li Keqiang claimed, maritime economy, maritime connectivity, maritime environment, disaster prevention and reduction, maritime safety and maritime culture are the top priorities in the “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”. China hopes to work with the ASEAN countries to implement fund programs sponsored by the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund in 2014, and welcomes the ASEAN countries to actively apply for the fund programs in 2015.

The China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund, proposed by China in 2011, aims at promoting cooperation between China and ASEAN in maritime technology and environmental protection, connectivity, navigation safety and rescue, as well as transnational crime etc. In October 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at the Indonesian Parliament, vesting new historical mission to theChina-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund, and extending its connotation to the construction of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation.

According to Li Chenyang, director of the Myanmar Research Institute of Yunnan University, the Pan-Beibu Gulf cooperation was started in 2006. But the specific project database has not yet been established, and the cooperation has not yet entered the practical stage. However, the project database for the “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation” has already been set up, and the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund will provide financial support to these projects. Currently, some of the ASEAN countries have showed great interest in the fund, and have already started some projects.

Therefore, the “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation” has not only brought a hard-won opportunity for China-ASEAN maritime cooperation, but also provided “provisions and fodder” for the tangible cooperation between the two sides.

Prosper with the Ocean

In the context of economic globalization and regional grouping, ocean has become an important channel for the flow of economic resources. Maritime connectivity construction, as well as maritime cooperation, will help each country to promote economic structure transformation and development via stabilizing flow of resources.

Maritime connectivity is a key content of both the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road and the “Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation”. Infrastructure construction is the precondition of maritime economy. By improving infrastructure and putting preferential policies into practice, including constructing the collecting and distributing network of transportation, as well as intermodal transportation, the port will attract masses of foreign trade enterprises, thus drive the development of shipping industry, collecting and distributing industry, warehousing industry, as well as finance, insurance, civil engineering and tourism etc.

Industrial development and the increase of economic hinterland have enabled the optimal allocation of capital, technology and talents in the coastal cities, and facilitated their economic and social structure adjustment. It is undoubtedly a heart-stirring signal for those enterprises which are engaged in those industries.

So, in the perspective of market and coastal city development, it is of great importance for China and ASEAN to explore the blue ocean and take maritime connectivity as the breakthrough point. But we could not neglect that there are also some disharmonious voices in China-ASEAN maritime cooperation.“The proposal of making 2015 the Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation is another move of China to enhance China-ASEAN maritime cooperation. It aims at weakening the disputes between China and some ASEAN countries, and deepening China-ASEAN mutual trust and cooperation”, said Wu Shicun, head of China’s National Institute for South China Sea Studies.

History tells us countries that open its ocean rise while those who close their borders fall. The cooperation in exploring oceans will help all countries develop. But vicious competition for the ocean would result in inadequate use of existing maritime resources and weakened strength of both sides. So, in the Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation, both China and ASEAN should take economic development as the first goal. The two sides should remove difference and seek common grounds. They should actively negotiate the best integrating point of maritime economic cooperation, maritime connectivity, and maritime resources development, especially make use of the 3 billion yuan China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund and promote the implementation of outstanding projects.

Currently, the China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation Fund is inclined to support an array of maritime transportation infrastructures that are of strategic importance, so as to facilitate the construction of China-ASEAN maritime connectivity network, promote the free flow of goods and capital within the region, and set up an example for maritime connectivity network in East Asia. Next, priority is given to establish regional maritime safety cooperation mechanisms. The fund would support the control of maritime emergency, which includes the exchanges and cooperation between China and ASEAN in the field of non-traditional security, establishing maritime disaster warning mechanisms, intensifying the fight against maritime transnational crime, and promoting the construction of maritime safety control bases. Besides, the fund aims at training experienced and professional marine talents and enhancing cross-national and cross-regional talent exchanges in the fields of maritime research and environment protection, maritime safety and cooperation, as well as maritime economic and trade exchanges. Related department of China and the ASEAN countries could take this opportunity and promote their own advantageous maritime projects.

The Year of China-ASEAN Maritime Cooperation has just begun. China and ASEAN are expected to make gratifying progress in maritime connectivity, infrastructure construction, as well as in coping with maritime disasters, protecting maritime environment, and building a peaceful maritime order. When China and ASEAN hold each other’s hands in dealing with the sea, the light of cooperation will beacon their new journey ahead.