A bilateral maritime meeting and consultation was held between the delegation of the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China and the Australian Maritime Safety Authority. Photo provided by Fujian Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China.

In accordance with the overall work arrangements of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, from December 19th to 20th, 2024, a delegation from the Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China conducted bilateral cooperation talks and consultations with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, and engaged in maritime business exchanges with local port authorities in Australia. This delegation was organized by the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, with Chen Kai, Director of the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration, serving as the head of the delegation. Relevant departments of the MSA, as well as representatives from the Zhejiang MSA and Fujian MSA, participated in the event.

The delegation of the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China visited the headquarters of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in Canberra and conducted a bilateral maritime talk with Ms. Kaylene Dale, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of AMSA, along with relevant personnel from the Australian Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Both sides engaged in thorough and comprehensive discussions on key topics such as preparations for the 24th Meeting of the Forum of Asia-Pacific Maritime Administrations, updating the maritime cooperation document between China and Australia, and sharing experiences in the construction of green shipping corridors, reaching a consensus on further cooperation. They also had an extensive exchange of viewpoints on issues of common concern, including cooperation under the framework of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), port state control inspections, marine environmental protection, and digital transformation in shipping. Both sides agreed to further strengthen technical cooperation and operational coordination, making greater contributions to maintaining the safety and environmental protection of maritime traffic, as well as the stability and smooth flow of the maritime logistics supply chain in the region and even globally.

Regarding the preparations for the 24th Meeting of the Forum of Asia-Pacific Maritime Administrations, Director Chen Kai briefed the progress of the preparations, which were highly appreciated by the Australians for the attention and diligent efforts demonstrated by China as the host country. China's proposal to encourage all members of the Forum to issue a joint initiative, providing guidance for establishing a more compact and efficient cooperation mechanism in the Asia-Pacific region, received a positive response from Australia. This laid a solid foundation for China to present practical outcomes during the 24th Meeting, enhancing the effectiveness and influence of the event.

Regarding the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on maritime cooperation between China and Australia, both sides comprehensively reviewed the cooperation progress since the signing of the MOU in 2008. They unanimously acknowledged the importance and urgency of reviewing and updating the MOU in the new context of global digitalization, intelligentization, and green shipping. Both parties agreed to initiate text negotiations and internal approval processes as soon as possible, aiming to hold a bilateral meeting between China and Australia during the 24th Meeting of the Forum of Asia-Pacific Maritime Administrations to finalize, update, and sign the MOU. In terms of the construction of green shipping corridors, both sides exchanged information on their existing practices and related progress, and discussed the work objectives, areas of focus, and implementation methods. This laid a solid foundation for China to further enhance its efforts in constructing green shipping corridors and to better serve the green transformation of shipping and the development of new productive forces.

Group photo of Chinese and Australian participants. Photo provided by Fujian Maritime Safety Administration.

In addition, the delegation of the Maritime Safety Administration of the People’s Republic of China also traveled to Melbourne to conduct business exchanges with the Victorian Ports Corporation, which is responsible for the integrated management of port waters and maritime affairs. In-depth discussions were held on topics such as VTS management for ships, supervision of recreational vessels, prevention of bridge collisions, and emergency response to accidents. Based on the realities of China and Australia, experiences in dynamic maritime supervision and service assurance were shared. Through these exchanges, a deeper understanding of the maritime management organizational structure and working practices of both the Australian federal government and state governments was gained.

The delegation of the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China conducted business exchanges in Melbourne with the Victorian Ports Corporation, which is responsible for integrated management of port waters and maritime affairs. Photo provided by Fujian Maritime Safety Administration.

A group photo of the delegation from the Maritime Safety Administration of the People's Republic of China with the port management authority of Victoria, Australia. Photo provided by Fujian Maritime Safety Administration.

Moving forward, the Fujian Maritime Safety Administration and Zhejiang Maritime Safety Administration will actively fulfill the requirements of the Maritime Safety Administration of the Ministry of Transport, diligently carry out their duties within the Sub-Committee on Maritime Cooperation and Research in the Asia-Pacific Region and the Sub-Committee on Research on Energy Efficiency and Emission Reduction from Ships, take the lead in effectively tracking and participating in the work of the IMO Technical Cooperation Committee, further strengthen research on "soft connectivity" in Asia-Pacific maritime affairs, advance the construction of the China-Pacific Island Countries Maritime Cooperation Center, enhance specialized research on green shipping corridors, and contribute to enhancing China's influence and leadership in the Asia-Pacific maritime sector, serving the high-quality joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative, and promoting the green and digital transformation of shipping.