PHNOM PENH, June 7 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia highly valued China's active role in global marine governance and international cooperation for ocean protection, said Cambodian Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth recently.
"China's participation in major international environmental and ocean-related frameworks demonstrates its growing leadership and commitment to multilateralism, ecological civilization, and sustainable development," he told Xinhua in an interview ahead of World Oceans Day.
Sophalleth said Cambodia particularly welcomes China's ratification of the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, which is an important milestone for strengthening global cooperation in conserving and sustainably using marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Noting that "as marine ecosystems are interconnected and transboundary in nature, effective global governance and collective action are essential," he said Cambodia views China as an important and constructive partner in advancing global marine environmental governance and sustainable ocean development.
"China's active engagement in international cooperation, scientific innovation, ecosystem restoration, and green development has contributed positively to regional and global efforts to protect marine ecosystems," he said.
The minister said China's achievements in marine ecological and environmental protection in recent years have been highly impressive, particularly its strong commitment to balancing economic development with environmental sustainability.
"China has demonstrated important leadership through coastal ecosystem restoration, marine pollution control, expansion of marine protected areas, and promotion of the blue economy under its vision of ecological civilization," he said.
"Cambodia is particularly impressed by China's investment in science, technology, and innovation, including the use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in ecosystem management, marine monitoring, ocean forecasting, and disaster risk reduction," he added.
Sophalleth said China's development of human-nature coexistence cities, such as Shenzhen, also provides valuable inspiration for sustainable urban and coastal development.
He added that Cambodia highly values China's efforts to strengthen regional and global cooperation, including the establishment of the International Mangrove Center, of which Cambodia is one of the three co-sponsoring countries, and the promotion of the China-ASEAN blue economy initiative.
"These initiatives offer important opportunities for scientific cooperation, technology transfer, capacity building, coastal ecosystem restoration, and sustainable marine economic development," he said. "China's experience provides important lessons for the world, particularly developing countries, in long-term planning, green development, innovation, access to finance, and integrating environmental protection into national development strategies."
Saying that the future of global ocean governance should be based on multilateralism, shared responsibility, innovation, and mutual benefit, he said "Cambodia looks forward to continuing close cooperation with China and the international community to promote a clean, healthy, resilient, and sustainable ocean for future generations." ■