Editor's note: The Shared Oceans Shanghai Forum 2026 was held at Shanghai Maritime University in April. Launched in 2025, the forum promotes joint efforts to build a maritime community with a shared future. Experts from various countries and international organizations discussed maritime security, connectivity and other issues at the forum. Below are excerpts from the comments of some of the participants.

Coral reefs can be seen at the Huangyan Island National Nature Reserve in the South China Sea. The nature reserve is located in the city of Sansha, Hainan province, and covers an area of 3,523.67 hectares. XINHUA

Improved global maritime governance needed

The United Nations has a leading position in global maritime security governance, serving as the overarching framework for shaping and safeguarding the modern international maritime order.

Oceans play a fundamental role in global trade transport, data transmission, energy supply and food security.

In recent years, the strategic significance of oceans has heightened, causing maritime security to gradually shift from a marginal issue to a core topic of discussion within the UN.

Yet maritime security is confronted with increasingly diverse threats and challenges, ranging from traditional risks, such as piracy and illegal fishing, to emerging hazards, including plastic pollution, climate change, ecological crises and threats to submarine cables. These challenges require comprehensive solutions.

Although maritime security has become a key topic of discussion within the UN, the organization is facing several challenges in handling the various threats.

The first hurdle is the stance taken by major countries. The United States' maritime policies, which emphasize key waterways and seek to control them, are steering UN discussions on maritime security away from international cooperation.

The second issue is the deep-seated differences between countries regarding the scope of maritime security.

There are vastly different views on which specific maritime security issues should be deliberated at the UN Security Council. Indeed, maritime security has become a battleground for rivalry and contention among various parties.

The third challenge comes from the UN itself. While many international organizations are involved in maritime security affairs within the UN system, they should have had an effective leading and coordinating mechanism.

As a result, some countries and think tanks have called for the UN to set up a dedicated institution to address maritime issues in a coordinated manner. Despite these challenges, the UN is expected to make slow but steady progress in placing greater emphasis on maritime security.

Mao Ruipeng is the director of the Institute for Global Governance at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies.

Inclusivity critical for maritime public goods

The world has a wide variety of maritime public goods, but there is a structural imbalance in the provision of these goods.

There is considerable international cooperation and public goods in fishery resources.

But in other fields, such as maritime security and polar governance, the interests of different countries collide, leading to a shortage of relevant public goods.

Another problem lies in the imbalance of participants. There is a divide between the Global North and the Global South. Developed countries tend to follow the approach of "small yards, high fences", which effectively denies most developing countries access to the maritime public goods they provide.

A public good is defined by non-excludability and non-rivalry in nature. But many maritime public goods around the world fall in the category of quasi-public goods or club goods — goods that only a limited number of countries can use.

A typical example is the provision of public goods by some Western countries. These goods are highly exclusive, and often marked by attempts to impose stringent standards and high thresholds to keep China out.

China launched the Belt and Road Initiative and proposed the building of a maritime community with a shared future. It has provided maritime public goods — such as institutional frameworks, technological support and deep-sea data — which are available to all countries.

Guided by the vision of a maritime community with a shared future, China contributes to ocean conservation, maritime resource utilization and maritime security by offering its own solutions.

But China is facing unprecedented challenges, especially the intensifying geopolitical competition. It is therefore essential for the country to strengthen cooperation with other BRICS countries and other countries of the Global South.

Through this cooperation, it can demonstrate the openness, stability and inclusiveness of its supply of global maritime public goods.

Wang Bocheng is an associate professor at the School of Marxism in Shanghai Maritime University.

Global collaboration will ensure stability at sea

More than 80 percent of global trade is carried by sea. A stable maritime order is, therefore, the cornerstone of the global economy. However, today's international landscape has become increasingly complex due to geopolitical shifts, regional conflicts and non-traditional security threats.

When the maritime order is disrupted, the impact on maritime transportation is immediate. Shipping costs rise, supply chains fracture, and ultimately the pace of global economic recovery slows.

As a port administrator in Sihanoukville, I witnessed how sensitive international trade is to the global security environment. Without security, there is no efficiency, and without stability, there is no prosperity.

In an era of economic globalization, a country's interests are no longer confined to its own borders, especially when it comes to maritime and shipping. No single country can protect these growing overseas interests alone. The following steps can help in this direction.

First, we must uphold international laws and respect the established maritime order. A fair and rules-based international framework provides fundamental legal protection for our overseas assets and personnel.

Second, we must strengthen collaborative security mechanisms. Protecting overseas interests means sharing information, conducting joint patrols along critical waterways, and providing mutual assistance in times of crisis. Through international cooperation, we can build a robust safety net for global shipping lanes.

Third, we must embrace the vision of a maritime community with a shared future, a vision that captures the reality of modern trade with great clarity. All stakeholders and partners in the maritime industry should collaborate closely and continue harnessing advanced technologies, intelligent port systems and green initiatives to make international shipping safer and more resilient.

Also, when we help secure a shipping lane, we are not merely protecting one country's overseas investments. We are protecting the entire global supply chain for the world economy.

Thong Viro is the deputy director-general of administration management at Sihanoukville Autonomous Port in Cambodia.

Aligning growth with green responsibilities

Two years ago, the Red Sea was closed to commercial shipping. Major carriers rerouted around the Cape of Good Hope. Freight costs surged. Supply chains that had linked Asia, Africa and Europe through the Suez Canal for over a century were severed almost overnight.

For Egypt, the impact was immediate. The Suez Canal, a lifeline through which roughly 12 percent of global trade passed, saw its revenues drop by nearly half.

This episode revealed a critical truth. While more than 80 percent of global trade moves by sea, the governance structures that underpin maritime security remain fragmented. Shipping lanes are global, but the mechanisms to protect them are not. This gap poses a key challenge, and the stakes go far beyond shipping alone.

The ocean economy, spanning fisheries, coastal tourism, offshore energy and marine biotechnology, is valued at roughly $2.5 trillion annually. Egypt, with coastlines on both the Mediterranean and the Red Sea and more than 50 working ports, is deeply embedded in that economy. For its people, the sea means jobs, food, and opportunity. But they cannot capture those benefits if the ocean itself is degraded.

Illegal fishing depletes stocks. Plastic and industrial pollution erode coastal habitats. Submarine cables, which carry over 95 percent of the world's intercontinental data, remain inadequately protected. The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the legal framework, but governance is only as strong as its implementation.

In this context, three priorities require urgent and sustained attention. First, there should be better maritime awareness. We need shared surveillance, stronger regional coordination and joint operations that are equal to the threats we face.

Second, blue economy strategies must align with environmental responsibilities. Economic growth that undermines the ecosystems upon which it depends is inherently unsustainable. Lasting development requires balance, responsible stewardship, and a long-term vision.

Third, we must invest in knowledge and human capital.

The path forward lies in partnership, grounded in international law, guided by science and measured by concrete results.

Kazem Agamy is the dean of the Arab Research Institute for Sustainable Blue Economy at the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

Greater connectivity crucial for regional growth

This year, ESCAP member states are preparing their new regional action program for sustainable transport development which will cover the period from 2027 to 2031.

Similar to the previous regional action program, this will be a unique strategic framework designed to address the evolving challenges of our times in the field of transport.

In 2021, member countries recognized maritime connectivity as one of the seven thematic areas of utmost priority for the region. They also established a key mechanism for regular regional dialogue on sustainable maritime connectivity for Asia and the Pacific.

The new regional action program is expected to build on these achievements to set a clear road map for collective action. In this context, the pivotal role of the Asia-Pacific region as the engine of global trade and the efforts of ESCAP countries in advancing maritime connectivity must be recognized.

Numerous national and regional initiatives, of which China's Maritime Silk Road is a flagship example, helped us achieve significant progress in more efficient and resilient transport operations.

These efforts have done more than just build infrastructure; they have created vital arteries for economic flow and people-to-people exchanges. By enhancing port efficiency and fostering intermodal connectivity, these initiatives have significantly contributed to the development of maritime transport across Asia and the Pacific, leading to tangible results in shortened lead times, more integrated supply chains, and a stronger, more unified regional market.

Azhar Jaimurzina Ducrest is the chief of the Transport Connectivity and Logistics Section of the Transport Division of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.