About 400 experts and scholars from more than 20 countries and regions discussed marine sci-tech innovation, marine energy and marine industrial development and cooperation at the 2nd Hainan Free Trade Port International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Forum & Deep-Sea Technology Innovation Conference 2024.

Held in Sanya, Hainan province in southern China, from August 23 to 25, the forum's theme was "Gathering wisdom in the deep sea, sharing the blue ocean."

Hainan has been promoting improvement of marine sci-tech innovation capacity and integration between sci-tech innovation and industrial application.

The Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City has renowned universities and research institutions such as Ocean University of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The province boasts more than 1,000 ocean-related sci-tech enterprises.

At the front of high-level opening up, Hainan has international sci-tech collaboration with countries such as the UK, U.S., Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan. This provides opportunities for the development of its marine economy.

The forum and conference has been initiated to implement China's maritime power strategy and promote the construction of a free trade port with Chinese characteristics. It is also an important measure to promote deep-sea sci-tech innovation by leveraging the local resource and policy advantages of the free trade port.

This year, the event was hosted by the Hainan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Administrative Center for China's Agenda 21, the local government of Sanya, UNESCO, and the provincial oceanic administration of Hainan.