YANGON, Sept. 23 (Xinhua) -- Against the backdrop of a rapidly digitalized and sustainable global maritime industry, young Myanmar maritime students are seeking to chart their blue-ocean future alongside Chinese enterprises and scholars to fuel their country's maritime growth momentum.
"I have greatly benefited from China's advanced experience in smarter, greener port development in the maritime sector. What I learned today also deepened my understanding of Myanmar's enormous potential to expand its port capacity," said May Thu Khaing, a harbor engineering student at Myanmar Maritime University.
The student spoke at an event jointly hosted by CITIC Myanmar and China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. (CHEC) on Wednesday. Held ahead of World Maritime Day, the gathering brought together government officials, representatives of Chinese port development and management firms, and scholars for exchanges on ports and maritime affairs, centered on operational excellence enabled by sound policies -- aligned with this year's International Maritime Organization (IMO) theme.
"China has launched relevant projects in this sector in Myanmar, and I am pleased to learn about future cooperation on deep-sea port projects," May Thu Khaing said.
She noted that the planned Myanmar deep-sea port projects will complement the country's riverine shipping network, raise cargo handling capacity, spur growth in international trade, and deliver benefits to local communities.
U Nay Myo Nyunt, chief engineer of the Myanmar Port Authority, said China and Myanmar share a vision to build a more efficient, sustainable and modern maritime ecosystem.
He noted that international expertise and technological insights shared by Chinese companies and research institutions will offer practical guidance for Myanmar to upgrade port operational standards and strengthen regional connectivity.
World Maritime Day falls on Sept. 24, as designated by the IMO. Aligned with this year's core theme, technical training has been underscored as a vital pathway to translate maritime policies into tangible practice and deliver on IMO's strategic commitments.
China has carried out training courses on port and waterway construction technologies and shared its port development experience through people-to-people exchanges, Jiang Yunpeng, deputy director of the international cooperation office at Tianjin Research Institute for Water Transport Engineering, said via online videos.
Jiang said the Chinese side looks forward to conducting more technical training, engineering research and technical exchanges with Myanmar counterparts in the maritime sector in the future.
Under the guidance of relevant authorities of the two countries, CITIC Myanmar will join hands with Chinese and Myanmar port and shipping enterprises and maritime universities to deepen the government-enterprise-university cooperation mechanism, offer opportunities for young Myanmar students to broaden their horizons, and contribute to the growth of Myanmar's port and maritime industry, said Zhang Yue, the company's head of public affairs. ■
