CityU holds Symposium to deepen China-PSCs maritime cooperation

Marking the start of the national “15^th Five-Year Plan” , the 11^th anniversary of the central government’s grant of the Macao SAR to manage 85 square kilometers of surrounding waters, and the 45th anniversary of City University of Macau (CityU), a special seminar titled “Integrating Education, Science and Technology, and Talent: Symposium on Marine Science Development in Portuguese-Speaking Countries—Tracing the University’s History: In Celebration of the 45^th Anniversary of City University of Macau” was held today at the Ho Yin Convention Centre, Taipa Campus.

The event was jointly organized by the Institute for Research on Portuguese‑Speaking Countries, the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area Marine Farming Research Center, the Digital Ocean and Blue Economy Research Center of the City University of Macau Advanced Research Institute (Hengqin), the Macau “One Belt, One Road” Research Centre, the Research Center for Information of “The Belt and Road” and Contemporary Portuguese‑speaking Countries, and the Research Centre for Macau Social and Economic Development.

This symposium aimed to align with national strategic priorities, bring together leading academic forces, and explore how to leverage Macao’s advantage as a China‑Portuguese‑speaking countries (PSCs) platform to promote high‑quality development of marine science in both China and Portuguese‑speaking countries, while advancing the integrated development of education, science and technology, and talent.

Guests attended the event both online and on-site, including Chen Jinrong, second-level official of the Social Work Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; Danilo Afonso Henriques and Li Ziwei, deputy secretaries-general of the Permanent Secretariat of the Forum for Economic and Trade Co-operation between China and Portuguese-speaking Countries (Macao); Vincent U U Sang, president of the Administrative Committee of the Science and Technology Development Fund (FDCT) of Macao; Cheang Hio Man, deputy director of the Economic and Technological Development Bureau (DSEDT) of the Macao SAR Government; Wu Chu Pang, head of the Department of Maritime Area Management of the Marine and Water Bureau (DSAMA); Patrícia Pinto, vice rector of University of Algarve (Portugal); Cátia Miriam Costa, researcher at the Center for International Research at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon; Manuel Pérez García, tenured associated professor of the School of Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Dr. Jarosław Marek Duraj, S.J., director of the Macau Ricci Institute; CityU Rector Jun Liu; Vice Rector Ip Kuai Peng; João Simões, director of the Research Center for Information of “The Belt and Road” and Contemporary Portuguese‑speaking Countries; Chung Kin San, postdoctoral fellow of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area Marine Farming Research Center.

Rector Jun Liu noted that marine is a gem for human societal sustainable development and serves as a vital carrier for high-quality “Belt and Road” cooperation. On 11^th anniversary of the central government’s grant of the Macao SAR to manage 85-square-kilometer marine area, he reflected that Macao has achieved milestones in marine management and the preservation of marine culture. Looking ahead, at the start of the national “15^th Five-Year Plan” and Macao’s “3^rd Five-Year Plan”, Rector Liu mentioned that Macao should seize the opportunity to integrate marine development into the national development strategy, emphasizing that the construction of marine disciplines is not only a need for academic research, but also a crucial foundation for serving national strategies and supporting Macao moderate diversified economic development.

As Rector Liu mentioned, Macao has unique global vision and pathways for developing a blue economy: first, Macao should leverage the 85 square kilometers of surrounding waters grant by the central government to strengthen the legal system for maritime use and scientific planning to build a solid legal and spatial foundation for marine economic development; second, Macao should play its role as a connector in the China-PSCs platform to establish “blue partnerships” between China and Portuguese-speaking countries. He suggested that Macao should take the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone in Hengqin as its hub to prioritize marine-specialized finance, marine ecotourism, and marine technology innovation, while leveraging on the China-PSCs platform to promote deeper cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil, Portugal, and Angola in fields such as marine governance, disaster prevention and mitigation, climate change response, and the digital ocean economy. He highlighted that these initiatives would position Macao as a key hub for China-PSCs marine cooperation, contributing CityU’s wisdom to the nation’s high-level opening-up.

Patrícia Pinto, vice rector of University of Algarve introduced European University of the Seas (SEA-EU) as a model for international cooperation for blue economy development. She noted that SEA-EU connects European coastal universities to promote interdisciplinary research and joint academic programs in areas such as marine sustainability, marine governance, and maritime innovation. She stated that with the support of University of Algarve, CityU is currently applying to become an external partner of SEA-EU, highlighting that the potential cooperation would be a significant step in strengthening Europe-Asia academic exchanges, helping to expand international research networks and jointly cultivate marine professionals with a global perspective.

Cátia Miriam Costa, researcher at the Center for International Research at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon, explored the strategic significance of marine economy for Portuguese-speaking countries and sustainable marine governance. She emphasized that the research output of scientific knowledge is essential for formulating sensible public policies and highlighted the integration of science and policies to balance economic development with marine protection when strengthening marine research capacity and data sharing. Furthermore, she analyzed the opportunities and challenges for China-PSCs cooperation arising from China’s engagement in areas such as marine infrastructure, and called for the establishment of inclusive governance models to reconcile large-scale economic projects with the traditional livelihoods of coastal communities.

Manuel Pérez García, tenured associated professor of the School of Humanities at Shanghai Jiao Tong University reevaluated China’s economic development during the Qing Dynasty from a global comparative perspective. Using big data analysis, he compared market dynamics and trade networks between southern China and the western Mediterranean (Macao and Marseille as core hubs). The study revealed the clash between Eurocentrism and the Chinese worldview in their visions of international order, exploring the underlying economic and cultural logic behind China and Western diplomatic encounters during this period. His presentation provided a new academic dimension for understanding historical maritime trade and interactions between east and the west.

Chung Kin San, postdoctoral fellow of the Guangdong‑Hong Kong‑Macao Greater Bay Area Marine Farming Research Centers, traced the marine cultural history of Macao as “Haojing ‘ao”. He pointed out that Macao should fully play its role as a China-Portuguese-speaking countries platform and a precise connector, relying on the support of the motherland integrating into the Greater Bay Area, and engaging in research cooperation with maritime countries such as Brazil and Portugal. He introduced the newly established Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Marine Ranching Joint Laboratory at CityU. This institute dedicated to building a world-class research institution for biological marine ranching. Through collaborative innovation among universities, research institutes, and enterprises, the laboratory will provide will scientific and intellectual support for Portuguese-speaking countries, contributing to the Greater Bay Area jointly build a “blue granary”, and use Macao as a bridge to establish a high-level marine cooperation platform with Portuguese-speaking countries.

Associate Prof. Zhou Long, chief of land-sea integration research team, concluded that the Symposium closely aligned with national strategic opportunities and charted a clear course for advancing marine discipline development at CityU under the integrated framework of “education, science and technology, and talent”. He emphasized that the future efforts will focus on deepening marine research cooperation with Portuguese-speaking countries, concentrating on areas such as ocean governance and the blue economy, gathering global intellectual resources, and cultivating interdisciplinary talents with a global insight. CityU will dedicate to positioning Macao as a hub for China-PSCs marine cooperation, contributing more substantial academic achievements to serve the national maritime power strategy and Macao’s moderate diversified economic development.

The seminar was also attended by faculty, students and officials, namely Yang Yi, deputy director of the Economic Affairs Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Macao SAR; representative of Angola to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Agostinho João António dos Santos; representative of Cape Verde to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Nuno Furtado; representative of Portugal to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, Márcia Cordeiro Guerreiro; and representative of Timor-Leste to the Permanent Secretariat of Forum Macao, António Ramos da Silva.

Source: Institute for Research on Portuguese-Speaking Countries

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