A video screenshot shows deep-water central manifolds for the phase II project of Deep Sea No. 1, the first large-scale ultra-deep-water gas field independently explored and developed by China, being installed in south China's island province of Hainan, April 9, 2024.

"The blue planet humans inhabit is not divided into islands by the oceans, but is connected by the oceans to form a community with a shared future, where people of all countries share weal and woe." In April 2019, Chinese President Xi Jinping put forward the initiative of building a maritime community with a shared future, which, from the perspective of common development for mankind, addresses the question of our time: "How can we correctly understand and utilize the ocean?" It provides new directions and solutions for global maritime governance.

Concept of maritime community with shared future

The concept of a maritime community with a shared future offers a clear strategic understanding of the ocean, elucidating three key relationships between Earth and the ocean, humanity and the ocean, and various nations and the ocean.

First, the ocean is an integral component of the Earth system, covering 71% of the Earth's surface, leaving only 29% as land. The initiative of a maritime community with a shared future takes a holistic view of the Earth as humanity's home, and reveals the unity between the ocean and land as critical parts of the planet's ecosystem. They are interdependent and mutually influential in nurturing life, driving material cycle, and maintaining ecological balance. This perspective surpasses the conventional view of treating the ocean as a separate entity.

Second, humans can co-exist harmoniously with the ocean. The ocean is vital for human survival and development. According to a U.N. report, the livelihoods of more than 3 billion people around the world are closely connected to the ocean. It is an important source of food and protein for humans, with marine life contributing to 80% of the Earth's biodiversity and supplying nearly 16% of the animal protein consumed globally. Rich in energy and mineral resources such as petroleum, combustible ice and manganese nodule, the ocean holds a significant position in global energy and mineral supply. About 80% of global goods are transported by sea, making the ocean a major platform for global supply chains and international trade. Furthermore, the ocean is where maritime industries can provide job opportunities, innovation in maritime science and technology can be made, marine leisure and tourism can develop, and marine civilization is developed as well.